The Prince, Pauper and the Princess
by heroes1202
Summary: An original take on the classic. Street orphan Elliot is mistaken for the prince and has a chance encounter with him, named Devin. In no time at all, the prince swaps lives with Elliot so he can find the girl who captured his eye in town. But at the same time, the visiting princess, Eloise, is coming to meet the prince. Before this is over, the lives of Devin and Elliot will change
1. Chapter 1: Look-a-Like

_A long, long time ago, in the kingdom of London, England, there lived three special children who were bound by fate to have met one another. The first was a prince. He lived at the castle, so large that it overlooked the rest of the town that surrounded its grounds. The prince lived without a care in the world, tended to by the maids and butlers hired by the royal family. In some way, he was also quite "brass" with the women within his kingdom's boundaries, known to many as a "women charmer" or a "playboy"._

 _The second is a lowly pauper boy. He lives in the lower quarters of the kingdom and makes his living doing odd jobs and favors for his fellow peasants. Beloved by all, he has had many ideas to help improve the way his fellow friends in the lower quarters live. A long time ago, his parents were said to have been lost by a fire that broke out at their home. He now lives alone at the town's inn, accompanied by a few of his other friends from the declining orphanage._

 _Last, but not least, the third child is a princess. Born of royal blood, she lives in a neighboring kingdom that had been on ill terms with the kingdom of the prince and a proposed marriage between the prince and princess could truly save the two kingdoms from descending into a war. The princess was quite like the pauper, beloved by her people and servants at the castle. She was a vision of beauty, a blonde haired angel with a heart warming smile. Like the peasant boy, she too has many ideas to help make life for her citizens all the better, plans she hope to accomplish once she becomes queen._

 _As of late, the princess has been invited to come to the prince's kingdom so the two could get a chance to meet one another. However, the princess is not all that "keen" on meeting the prince after hearing all the rumors and stories of him being a romancer. And, likewise, the prince does not seem ideal to meeting his "future wife" either. And this...is only the beginning...of how the simple pauper weaved his way into both of their lives. This is the tale of..._

 _ **The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 01: Look-a-Like**_

Our story begins within the little quaint town that surrounds the grounds of the royal castle, divided by a stone wall and a heavy steel gate. We come to the lower quarter of the town, which was falling apart slowly after a wild fire burnt down most of this part of town. It is here where we find the pauper boy. His name is Elliot, a twelve year old boy who wore mostly rag clothing including a dark red scarf, patched covered sweatshirt and long pants, completed with a dirty brown cap atop his already chestnut colored hair. We find the boy strolling through town with a load of logs beneath his arm, on his way to deliver them as a favor to the town's wood cutter. His bright gold eyes glanced around the town with a bright smile as many of the other townsfolk stopped to greet him.

"Good day Elliot! You hungry there lad?" the baker called from his store window. Elliot looked over towards the baker and smiled, waving with his free hand.

"Not quite yet! I have a delivery to make first! I-I promise to come by later and visit!" he called. As Elliot continued on, the baker watched with a smile on his face.

"Ah. What a fine lad that Elliot is. So polite, quaint and lovable. Heh. Its no wonder everyone in town has taken a shine to him." he chuckled. Elliot continued along the street with his smiling face, a smile that stretched cheek to cheek. As he came to a crosswalk in the streets, he stopped for a moment to reach into his pants pocket and took out a small piece of paper. He looked at the crude writing on the paper, containing a list of people he was delivering firewood for. Most of the names were crossed off.

"Okay. Let's see. The last two deliveries I have are for Mister Farley and his family. Then...its straight to the palace gates for the last delivery." he thought. Slipping the paper back into his pocket, he looked up towards the north end of the town, spotting the large castle standing over the other houses and shoppes. Elliot lightly sighed as his eyes looked on.

"Man. I wonder what it's like to live someplace like the palace. Must be great. A nice warm fireplace on chilly cold nights, delicious meals each day, enough to make anyone's belly big...a beautiful view of the rest of the town...ahh. What a life that must be." he sighed. Just then, Elliot heard the loud rings of the nearby clocktower, reading 11 o'clock on its face.

"Oh! I-I better get these deliveries other with and hurry back to the inn. They're probably waiting for me." Elliot said. But just as he was about to head off, Elliot was stopped by the sounds of another voice calling out to him.

"Elliot! Hey! Elliot! Over here!" the voice called. Looking behind him, Elliot saw a young boy, dressed similar to him but with scruffy tan hair, rushing up towards him. This was another boy from the orphanage that Elliot lived in. His name was Eugene, a ten year old boy who became somewhat of a "little brother" to Elliot after their time together.

"Huh? Eugene? What are you doing here? I thought you were busy helping the innkeeper today." Elliot asked. Eugene smirked and waved his hand.

"Nah. I finished that job a while ago. I've got some free time before that bossy lady calls for me again." Eugene said, teasing the innkeeper.

"So...may I ask why you came looking for me?" he asked. Eugene looked to the wood beneath Elliot's arm.

"I figured I'd help my big bro with his wood deliveries." he said. A little surprised, Elliot smiled before patting Eugene's head, scruffing up his hair.

"I'm afraid you're a little late there Eugene. I'm just two deliveries away from finishing up for the day." he said. This bit of news caused Eugene to grow a frown, looking down to the ground with his usual "disappointed" face. However, Elliot took another look at the wood under his arm before lightly smiling.

"But...I know how much you liked helping me out. So...I'll split them with you. If you'll take one delivery, I'll take the other." he said. Eugene gasped and sprang back to life, looking happily at his "big brother". The two boys divided the wood between the two of them before Elliot told Eugene where to take his delivery.

"Gotcha! Don't worry Elliot! You won't regret this!" Eugene cheered. With that, he was soon on his way towards Mister Farley's home. Along the way, Elliot watched as the over excited boy stumbled into a nearby flower stand and knocked over some pots. He quickly got back up and apologized to the shop keeper, offering to assist. This made Elliot chuckle as he lightly shook his head.

"That Eugene...always a bit of a clutz." he said. Elliot then continued his way north, making his delivery to the gates leading to the castle. However, the young boy would not expect the amazing surprise awaiting him once he arrived. Arriving at the gates, Elliot stopped for a moment to look around in awe at the outer wall of the palace. Standing before him were two heavily armored knights standing attention at the castle gates. They noticed Elliot approaching and raised their spears.

"Halt! Who goes there?" one called. Elliot stopped dead in his tracks, looking nervously at the knights standing before him and gulped. He slowly tipped his cap to the two.

"H-Hello there. M-My name is Elliot. I...ahem...I have a delivery for the servants to the king. I believe he ordered some firewood from the local wood cutter?" he asked. The knights looked on without a sound, trying to make out Elliot's face. But at the moment, their visors were down and their view of Elliot was rather hard. Just then, one of the knights scoffed.

"Oh. Its only you my lord. Heh. Let me guess. You've gone out on one of your usual "field trips" to the town?" he asked. He then turned to his accomplice.

"H-Huh? That's the prince? I thought he said his name was Elliot." the other asked. The first knight chuckled.

"Nah. You haven't been in the knights long enough if you don't recognize the prince's "disguises". Ha ha." he said. Just then, he took Elliot's hand, causing him to drop the wood he was carrying.

"Uhhh...p-pardon me? W-What are you doing?" Elliot asked nervously.

"Come on now your highness. You ought to be going inside now. You have a guest coming after all. Can't keep her waiting after all." the knight insisted, pushing Elliot through the gates as they slowly rose open.

"W-What?! H-Hold on a second! I'm not the prince! M-My name is...!" he exclaimed. But his outbursts fell on deaf ears as the two knights did not seem to believe him. Once he was within the palace walls, the gates were closed shut, trapping Elliot inside. Everything was happening so fast. Elliot looked nervously around him, seeing no other soul for miles around him. He then looked up nervously towards the castle. He slowly pulled the cap off his head, wrangling it between his hands.

"W-What am I going to do? Those knights at the gate said...I'M the prince. B-But the prince hardly ever leaves the castle. So...how could they...?" he thought. Elliot heavily sighed before slipping his cap back on.

"M-Maybe I can speak with one of the other knights or servants here at the castle. Perhaps they can help straighten this whole mess up." he said "A-After all, I WAS supposed to make a delivery." After a sigh of relief, Elliot made his way towards the front doors leading into the castle, slowly reaching for the door handle. The door was rather heavy as it took all of Elliot's strength to open it. He then veered inside, looking around at the empty lobby before him. The inside of the castle was truly what he expected it to be. The marble floors shimmered, having been freshly polished, as Elliot made his way inside. He walked along the stretch of ruby red carpet that extended from the front door. Along the sides of the walls were suits of armors, each holding a large flag with the king's royal seal on the flag.

"Wow. W-Would you look at this place? Oh. Eugene and I would have so much FUN playing hide and seek here." he said, his voice lightly carrying in the chamber. He took a moment to look at his reflection in the marble floor and smiled, waving to himself.

"Wait until I tell the others back at the inn that I...I actually got to go INSIDE the king's castle. This...This really is amazing." he said. Suddenly forgetting the reason he came inside, Elliot began looking around the castle lobby in awe and wonder, giving off the air that he was a tourist just visiting the castle. As he continued along, lightly humming to himself with each step, he did not keep his eyes out as the faint sounds of footsteps were heard coming from a nearby hallway. Emerging from the shadows of the hall, another boy about Elliot's height came dashing out with a cloak over himself. He had the same chestnut hair as Elliot, but had bright green eyes.

"Heh heh heh! Devin, you sly dog...will you never cease to amaze yourself? Those royal snobs will never recognize me." the boy snickered. But without realizing where he was going, the boy wound up charging straight into and colliding with Elliot. The two boys stumbled to the ground as the cloak the other wore was thrown off in the chaos, as was Elliot's scarf and cap. Elliot and the boy laid in a daze on the ground.

"W-Whoa. What a loop." Elliot moaned. His head still spinning, Elliot looked up at the face of his assaulter, dizzily seeing his own reflection before him.

"H-Hey. What bozo...?" the other asked. As Elliot came to, he quickly gasped as did the other boy. Their eyes remained locked on each other. Underneath the cloak, the other boy appeared dressed in similar garbs. They slowly began to mimic each other, waving their hands in sync and making silly faces to each other before the reality of the situation slowly began to fade in.

"W-What the?! B-But! Y-You're me...and I'm...! Wait! But you are...!" they exclaimed. But suddenly, the other boy quickly silenced Elliot, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Before we start losing track of things...lemme put two and two together here." he said. After his mouth was uncovered, Elliot reached down and scooped up his cap and scarf.

"Tell me something kid. What's your name?" the other asked. Elliot nervously looked on as the other boy circled around him.

"M-My name is Elliot. W-Who might I ask are you?" he replied. The other boy lightly smirked with a cocky smile.

"You can call me Devin my good man. Maybe you heard of the prince of the royal family? Heh heh. That would be me." he said. Elliot looked on at Devin's smirking face with somewhat of a blank stare before quickly gasping.

"W-What?! T-The prince?! So...you are...oh wow. No WONDER those guards mistook me for you! We...We're exact DOUBLES of each other!" Elliot exclaimed. Devin lightly stroked his chin as he viewed Elliot from head to toe.

"Yeah. We DO look like twins." he muttered "And that gives ME...an idea." Devin suddenly plopped his hand on Elliot's shoulder as he lightly winked.

"Say, Elliot...why you're here, mind if I ask you for a little FAVOR?" Devin asked.

"A-A-A favor? F-For the prince? O-Of course! H-How can I help?" Elliot asked. Devin smirked as he slipped his arm around Elliot's shoulder.

"Come. Let's take a stroll back to my room. We can talk there. Besides, you'll get to see more of the castle. Deal?" he asked. Elliot was rather excited to be speaking directly with Devin, prince of the royal family. With but a nod of his head, the two boys strolled off together, staying directly close to one another.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	2. Chapter 2: That Ol' Switcheroo

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 02: That Ol' Switcheroo**_

Elliot remained closely to Devin's side as they traversed the halls of the castle on their way to the prince's chamber. Each time Elliot glanced over towards the prince, Devin gave him a light yet somewhat disturbing smile. Of course, most of the time Elliot's eyes were seen viewing the many sights around the castle. They reached the floor where Devin's chamber was as Elliot stopped for a moment to look out at the town from the large cathedral sized windows. He could see farther than he ever could view before, seeing the entire town outside the castle.

"W-Wow. You don't have this kind of view from town. No sir." Elliot chuckled. Devin joined Elliot's side at the window and glared out at the town with a sigh.

"Yes. This view does get rather BORING after being in here for as long as I have Elliot. I'll tell you that." Devin commented. This puzzled Elliot as he looked to the prince.

"H-Huh? Boring? Why do you say that your majesty?" he asked. Devin sighed and continued along the hall, entering the nearby room, his bedroom chamber.

"I'll explain in a moment. Come Elliot." he said. As the prince entered the chamber, Elliot took one last look out the window before joining. The inside of the prince's chamber was decorated with only the most priceless things. He had a large king's size bed with an overhanging canopy, a large fireplace for cold evenings, a suit of armor standing proudly in the corner and walls lined with books. Like the main foyer below, the rug in the prince's room was royal red in color. Once Elliot was inside, Devin closed the chamber door and calmly approached Elliot, leading him across the room.

"Tell me Elliot. What do you think it's like to be the prince? Be honest now." Devin asked, putting his hand on Elliot's shoulder. Elliot looked nervously at the prince, unsure of what he should say.

"W-Well, your majesty, I think it must be an absolute joy being the prince of a kingdom. The love your subjects give you, the fun you must have with others of royalty..." Elliot began. But he was soon stopped when Devin turned to him.

"Actually, like I said before, it is an absolute BORE. Your whole day...planned out in advance by these over stuff hens, servants who don't give you any disrespect no matter WHAT you do, being forced into classes tutored by humorless stiffs...I tell you my friend. I have ZERO freedom to myself." Devin interrupted. Elliot watched in surprise as Devin approached a large mirror in the opposite corner, soon joining him after.

"Wow. I didn't know life as a royal is so busy." he said. Devin sighed with a nod.

"Yes. No time to mingle with the pretty girls I see from the castle windows. Is that not what ALL men desire Elliot? To find that "special someone"?" Devin asked. Elliot glared on confusingly.

"I-I suppose so." he shrugged. Devin smirked as he and Elliot looked at each other in the reflection of the prince's mirror.

"Well, you see, I RARELY have that opportunity. So...for a while now, I've been secretly sneaking out of the castle to go and associate myself with the fair maidens of this kingdom. And let me tell you something. They ALL find me quite attractive." he said, lightly winking. The two boys then faced one another.

"But enough of that. About that FAVOR I asked you for..." he said, taking hold of Elliot's wrist. He dragged him behind a changing curtain. In a quick change of clothes, Devin was now wearing Elliot's dirty rags and Elliot was in the prince's royal robes, complete with a pendant hanging around his neck and his princely crown atop his head.

"W-W-What's going on?! Why did you take my clothes?!" Elliot asked. Devin smirked, tipping his cap in a coy way.

"What? Don't tell me you don't know. My favor is for us to switch lives for a day." he said. Elliot gasped.

"W-W-Wha?! B-But this is ridiculous! Why would you want to take my place?!" he cried. Devin chuckled and patted Elliot's shoulder.

"Well, its like this "your majesty". A while ago, when I was out on one of my "secret trips" to the town, I happen to cross eyes with a simply gorgeous girl among the commonfolk. She was SO lovely that I could not take my eyes off of her. I was so mesmerized that, while I was walking down the street, I wound up walking face first into one of the street lamps. I simply HAVE to meet that girl." he said. Elliot looked on with a confused glare, doing his best to keep track with the prince's story.

"So...all I am asking from you is the chance to meet this fair maiden by allowing me to become YOU for just one day. Please say you will. The castle staff is getting wise of my other various disguises. But this...this will be foolproof. Besides, you'll be able to see what its like to live in comfort until we exchange clothes again." Devin explained. He then took hold firmly of Elliot's shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. Elliot's eyes lightly shaked from fear before, with a gulp, he nodded. Devin smiled as he patted Elliot.

"Then we have a deal! Don't worry pal. I promise not to damage your reputation. And...I do hope you will make sure not to do the same to MINE, understand?" he said. Elliot nodded.

"B-But, what am I going to do? I don't know anything about being a prince." Elliot asked. Devin lightly glanced away before simply shrugging.

"Ehh...just wing it. That's how I've been running my life until now." he said. Those words did not seem to ease Elliot's worries as he looked on with more worry than before. Without a word, Devin made his way towards the chamber doorway and opened it a crack, peeking out to see no one coming. He slowly creeped out afterwards before Elliot rushed to the door. Devin noticed him and grinned, turning back to him.

"Heh. If you're worried about me, don't worry. I know the schedule the castle staff follow around here and can sneak around with the best of them. Don't worry. No one will see me. So fear not my friend. You just be the best prince you can be." Devin waved. Elliot sighed with relief before lightly waving.

"O-Okay then. Take care your majesty." he muttered. Devin nodded and gave a wave before starting off. But just when he was a few steps from the doorway, he turned back to Elliot.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I have some company coming over this afternoon. And...according to the hands of time..." he said, taking out a pocket watch from his pocket "She should be here fairly soon." Elliot looked on curiously, asking who was coming.

"Meh...just a princess from the neighboring kingdom that our parents have been talking about having an engagement to when we're older. Its to prevent some kind of "war" or something between our kingdoms. Feh. I never really pay attention to politics." he said. Elliot gawked, his eyes widening from shock.

"W-W-Wha?! A princess?! Engagement?! T-Then is THIS why you...?!" Elliot exclaimed. Devin suddenly heard nearby footsteps and quickly silenced Elliot.

"Shh! No more time to talk! Get back in there and keep QUIET! Just do your best with the princess. And, WHATEVER you do, don't you DARE make her fall for you. I'm not getting forced into a marriage with some chick I hardly know! No thank you! This prince is a FREE MAN!" Devin whispered. He then shoved Elliot inside before slamming the doors and making a bee line down the hall, away from the approaching footsteps. However, shortly after, Elliot bursted back out and looked up and down the hallway, seeing no sign of Devin.

"Y-Your majesty! WAIT! I can't do this!" Elliot cried. After the fact that Devin suddenly ditched him sank in, he heavily sighed and leaned up against the wall with a heavy groan.

"I can't believe it. I bet the only reason the prince wanted me to take his place today was so that he WOULDN'T have to deal with the princess. Oh man. Now I'm WORRIED as to what he'll do with MY life, especially if people think HE is ME." he groaned. Just then, Elliot noticed someone approaching nearby. He looked and saw one of the castle's butlers standing alongside him. The butler was a elder man with silver hair and a fuzzy silver moustache. He wore a pair of glasses on his nose.

"Ah. Prince Devin. Good. You have not made your "usual" attempt to sneak out of the palace today." he said. Elliot nervously stuttered, unsure what he should say. But suddenly, the butler took hold of his hand.

"Since you are already dressed, shall we adjourn ourselves to the foyer? Your guest, Princess Eloise, is vastly approaching and, as the prince, you should be there to greet her." he said. Elliot looked on fearfully as the two were soon strolling down the hallway together. Despite being overwhelmed with worry, Elliot calmly obeyed and made his way down the stairs and back to the foyer. Along the way, he nervously looked up at the butler.

"E-Excuse me...Mister...?" Elliot asked. The butler glanced down at him before giving a light smile.

"Please sir. Call me Randolph. I know how hard it is for you to tell all of us apart sometimes." he said. Elliot nodded.

"Okay then. Mister Randolph? Exactly what is this princess like? I don't really know her myself." Elliot asked. Randolph smiled.

"From what I understand, Princess Eloise is a charming and very beautiful young lady. She is loved by everyone in her kingdom. And I also heard she has come a very long way to meet you, your majesty." he said. Elliot nodded, lightly sighing afterwards.

"Oh. A-All right. She sounds like a very nice girl. Maybe this won't be so bad after all." he thought. Elliot and Randolph continued their way until they finally returned to the main foyer on the base floor of the castle. The two then made their way outside and stood together at the castle gates, joined by the other servants and maids employed at the castle. They were all standing alongside one another in a straight row as the sounds of a horse's neigh filled the air. Elliot looked on to see a horse drawn carriage approaching the front gates, passing through without a problem as the guards out front opened the gates for the coach to pass through. Once inside the walls, the carriage came to a stop and, out from it stepped a pair of well dressed men. They were each carrying a trumpet in their hands as they stepped out and turned around, playing a fanfare at the same time.

"Presenting...Princess Eloise, sole daughter of King Herald and Queen Elizia of the Kingdom of France!" one of the men announced. Just then, the carriage door opened again. Elliot looked on as he saw the edge of a pink gown from the corner of the door. Emerging from the carriage was Princess Eloise, a beautiful blonde haired girl, whose hair draped halfway down her back. She was dressed in a royal pink gown with frill trimmings towards the base, a pair of white gloves and was wearing a beautiful silver tiara atop her head. She looked around the courtyard with bright blue eyes, looking at the many servants who came out to greet them.

"Welcome, Princess Eloise! We are at your service madame!" the servants called at once. Eloise glanced between the servants and lightly giggled.

"And a very good day to all of you as well. I'm honored to be here!" she laughed, giving a courtsey of her own. Elliot silently looked on, automatically blushing heavily as his eyes could not be taken off the princess. The smile on her face warmed his heart and the sound of her laugh soothed his worries. The princess then made her way up the walkway towards the castle doors, where Randolph and Elliot awaited. Following close behind the princess was her personal maid who accompanied her all the way from France. Elliot watched Eloise approaching, adjusting the collar of his robe as sweat raced down his face. Randolph glanced to him and lightly chuckled.

"I take it you're already fancy yourself a crush on our guest, have you now prince?" he teased. Elliot's eyes lightly glanced up to Randolph before he looked ahead, noticing the princess staring directly at him. Seeing he was within but meters of the princess, Elliot began sweating more and his face began glowing bright red. Suddenly, Eloise gave a light courtsey, surprising him.

"So you must be Prince Devin, the only child of this kingdom's royal family. A-A pleasure." she said. Elliot gulped before nervously bowing over himself, making sure to maintain his manners.

"Y-Y-Yes Princess Eloise. M-My name IS Ellio...dah! I-I mean Devin! Prince Devin of the Kingdom of London! W-W-Welcome!" Elliot stuttered, almost blowing his cover. Eloise glared on at Elliot before giving a laugh, acting as if she was faking with a coy look on her face.

"What's the matter dear prince? Have I...enchanted you already?" she teased "I get that a lot myself." Elliot nervously stuttered.

"A-Ah...p-please...won't you come in?" Elliot muttered. Eloise nodded before giving a nod to her nearby maid. Randolph opened the doorway, allowing them both inside. But as her maid went on ahead, Eloise stopped directly alongside Elliot and glared at him with a sour demeanor. Elliot saw this out of the corner of his eye.

"Listen up "prince". I'm not very "happy" about this arranged marriage myself. I only CAME here by my family's wishes. Like them, I do not wish to start a war either. However, I know how much of a "ladies man" you REALLY are. So...keep your disgusting playboy FILTH to yourself and we'll ALL be happy. Got me?" she muttered. Elliot could not believe what he just heard. This beautiful princess had suddenly spoken so ill of the prince and right to his own ears. Elliot watched as Eloise continued inside, giving only one glare back with a spiteful huff. As the other servants followed the princess inside, Elliot heavily sighed, watched upon by Randolph.

"Do not worry your majesty. Just give her some time. In no time at all, I'm sure she'll warm up to your charms. But...yes. Do be on your best behavior. Tis the king's wishes that we avoid a war at all costs." Randolph said. Elliot looked to Randolph and nodded.

"Y-Yes sir. I'll...I'll do my best." he replied.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	3. Chapter 3: Life Outside the Castle

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 03: Life Outside the Castle**_

With the princess' arrival, many different emotions found themselves swirling around in Elliot's heart. He found himself awed by Eloise's beauty and his heart began to beat faster as he followed her into the foyer. But he also recalled what the prince told him earlier, that he was currently fulfilling the prince's role and did not wish for him to fall for the princess. But while his brain thought of this, the feelings in his heart were trying to make him ignore said request. Randolph stayed close to Elliot's side as they returned to the foyer.

"M-Mister Randolph? I'm worried. W-What if the princess doesn't like me? You heard what she said earlier." Elliot asked. Randolph glanced down at the young boy and patted his head.

"Do not worry my dear boy. I'm sure you two will be fine. Let her see the kind hearted lad I know you are." Randolph said. Just then, the two were stopped when they saw another man approaching from a nearby hallway. This man appeared to be younger than Randolph but was wearing royal garnments. He had slick black hair, combed neatly atop his head, with ruby red colored eyes.

"Ah. Randolph. THERE you are. I've been searching all over the palace for you." he said. Randolph looked to the man and sighed.

"Vlad, you should have known very well where I was. I was fetching the prince for Princess Eloise has just arrived. Surely you recalled his majesty's wish for her and the prince to meet." Randolph replied. Vlad glanced towards the princess, being eyed back by her and her maid. He then turned with a huff, slightly disgusting the princess as a frown came to her face.

"Ah. Yes. HER. I nearly forgot. SO SORRY ol' chap." Vlad said. This made Randolph lightly scoff.

"You should remain on top of your daily schedules. After all, you are the advisor to the king's wishes after all. It is your job to make sure things go smoothly for his majesty and the prince." he said. Vlad glared towards Randolph before looking down to Elliot.

"Hmph. I'm just happy our "foolish prince" didn't sneak off like he always does and decided to stick around this...time..." Vlad huffed, slowly losing track of his words as he looked straight on at Elliot. His eyes slowly widened as he stuttered, glaring into Elliot's bright gold eyes. Fearing he was exposed, Elliot nervously gulped and backed against Randolph's legs before Vlad glared intensely at him. This was all observed closely by Eloise and the other servants nearby.

"W-What? Is...Is there something on my face?" Elliot asked. Vlad remained dead silent, glaring with a horrified look on his face. Just then, he felt someone shaking his shoulder rapidly. He snapped out of his trance to see Randolph.

"Vlad? Vlad! Snap out of it sir! You look as if you just saw a ghost!" Randolph called. Vlad groaned and rubbed his eyes before glaring back down at Elliot, now cowering behind Randolph's legs.

"S-Sorry...its just...ah. Nothing." he sighed. He then swiftly turned around and made his way back down the hall. Randolph was about to speak out before Vlad raised a hand.

"C-Carry on. Do not worry about me." he called. Randolph looked on in confusion as Eloise made her way back towards Elliot, watching as Vlad was fading from sight.

"Pardon me sir. But...who IS that man?" Eloise asked. Randolph glanced down to the two children and then back up the hallway at Vlad.

"That, dear princess, is Vlad. He is the advisor to our benevolent, King Alexander. He actually was once a good friend of our former ruler, the prince's father, King William." Randolph explained "Before his death, Lord William wished for us to instigate Vlad as the next ruler of our kingdom because of his grand advice and plans to benefit the kingdom's future. However, customs would not have it as the king's brother, Alexander, was to take the throne. Since that day, Vlad has been rather distant and cold to the rest of us. He only really speaks with the king when it is of important matters." Eloise lightly nodded, understanding the way Vlad was acting before. Randolph turned to Elliot and Eloise with a light smile on his face.

"But...enough of that. You must be both very parched from your long travel. Might I offer you ladies a bit of refreshment?" he asked. Eloise smiled and gave a light courtsey.

"Ah. Yes. Thank you kindly Mr. Randolph. Henrietta? I know we are guests of theirs, but please, feel free to lend Sir Randolph a hand if necessary. I wish to speak with the prince...alone." she said, turning to her maid. Henrietta lightly nodded.

"As you wish madam. I feel this will give us "servants" a chance to better know one another as well." she said. Eloise chuckled, saying that was the plan. Henrietta patted the princess' head before making her way out of the room, walking side by side with Randolph. Elliot stood and observed them before glancing to Eloise. She had a firm look on her face, glaring annoyingly towards him, before remembering her manners.

"A-Ahem. So...Prince Devin. May we adjourn ourselves to your quarters? I wish to see how my future "husband" keeps tabs on his chambers." Eloise asked. Elliot lightly blushed, stuttering for a short while before giving a nervous laugh.

"S-S-Sure thing princess. H-Here. Follow me." he said, leading the princess towards the stairs. However, just as she was turning around, Eloise's heels accidentally stepped on the hem of her gown and the princess began to stumble towards the floor. Elliot gasped and quickly acted, catching the princess before she fell.

"Y-Your majesty!" he called as he caught her. Elliot was able to catch the princess as her gaze was to the ceiling of the castle and her blonde hair was stretched out all the way. In the process, their crown and tiara had fallen from their heads and rolled across the floor. Eliose glanced down towards the floor and sighed with relief.

"O-Oh. I'm sorry. It would appear as I almost fumbled there. T-Thank you for your aide, Prince Dev...guh!" Eloise replied, stopped when she looked at Elliot's worried expression. As their eyes remained locked on one another, Eloise began to stutter and quickly blushed. She felt herself slightly trembling as Elliot held her gently in his arms.

"Uhh...p-princess? A-Are you all right? You're turning red. Are you...feeling well?" Elliot asked. Eloise gasped before straightening herself out and adjusted her gown. She then swiftly grabbed her tiara before regaining her composure.

"A-Ahem! I'm...I'm fine. I am...sorry, again, for the scene I caused." she replied, not trying to make eye contact with Elliot. Relieved, Elliot smiled before picking up his crown as well.

"That's good. I wouldn't want yourself to get hurt. After all, you're my guest. T-That probably means I should be taking care of you to make sure something like this does not hapen." he said. Eloise's face began blushing heavily again as she glared at Elliot straight on. Her eyes lightly quivered from surprise.

"T-There's no WAY he's Prince Devin! A-All the information my servants back home gathered for me h-had me understand the prince was a snob of a ladies man who always loved sweet talking the girls with vulgar actions! B-But...this boy...he's...he's the complete opposite! Ever since I arrived, he's the complete OPPOSITE!" she thought. Elliot quickly took notice of Eloise's face again as he cluelessly glared back.

"Hmm? Princess? Are you SURE you're all right? You're turning red again. Do you have a fever?" Elliot asked. Eloise gasped before quickly spinning around, covering her blushing face with both hands.

"D-Dah! I-I'm sorry! A-Ahem! P...Please forget what you just saw! I-I'm fine!" she cried. Elliot looked on questionably over the princess' shoulder, catching her gaze yet again.

"A-Are you sure?" he asked. Eloise gawked and shoved Elliot away, causing him to fumble to the floor.

"I SAID I WAS FINE! NOW QUIT IT!" she exclaimed. Elliot simply sat on the floor, his eyes focused on the princess' "weird" performance. Rejoining the prince "incognito", we find Devin out in the streets of town, now donning Elliot's clothes. He looked around with a hearty smile on his face as he took a deep breath, breathing a light sigh.

"Finally. I can be among the commoners without having to hide myself from the royal guards. And how is this possible? Heh heh. Because I found the PERFECT disguise...another person in this world who looks exactly like me. No one, not EVEN the royal guards, will tell its me!" Devin chuckled. He took another look back towards the castle walls, thinking back to the last look he saw on Elliot's face.

"Hmm. I hope Elliot is gonna be okay. I mean, I DID just up and left him as the princess showed up." he muttered, contemplating the ordeal. But just then, his usual smirk came back to his face as he strolled towards town with arms crossed behind his head.

"Nah. I'm sure he's fine. He looked like a good boy. I'm sure there'll be no problems whatsoever." he chuckled. Just then, he happened to notice someone rushing over towards him. He turned and saw Eugene, Elliot's best friend.

"Elliot! Elliot! There you are!" he yelled. Devin glanced over his shoulder, spotting the young lad rushing over towards him.

"Hmm? Who's this kid?" Devin thought. Once he reached Devin's side, Eugene stopped to catch his breath as he rested one hand on his shoulder.

"Elliot...oh man. I'm so glad I found you. Everyone back at the inn was worried SICK about you. You took so long to come back from the castle with your delivery. What happened?" he asked. Devin looked on in worry, realizing he had to think of something fast. He was now in Elliot's shoes and knew he had to hurry and fake his identity.

"Uhhh...the delivery...delivery...ah yes! Sorry about that pallie. It took a while to get in because the guards outside mistaked me for a common begger boy and turned me away. But don't worry. Eventually, I got the "delivery" taken care of." Devin said, acting his best to sound like Elliot. He looked on at Eugene's face, slowly beginning to worry that his act wasn't fooling him.

"Ehh...I dunno why the guards gave you a hard time. They should know by now that the town's wood cutter usually asks us to deliver fire wood to the castle. Anyway, come on. Now that I found you, we got to go back to the inn and finish our chores." Eugene said, taking hold of Devin's hand. Devin looked on in shock as he was dragged along with Eugene.

"W-Wait a minute! What do you mean "chores"?!" Devin exclaimed. Eugene glanced over his shoulder.

"You know what I mean. We don't share a room at the inn for free ya know. Miss Haggison has us make up for our stay by helping her around the inn. Besides, I left Giselle alone back there and work is really piling up!" Eugene explained. All this sudden excitement made Devin groan heavily.

"Ugh! If I knew THIS was how Elliot lived his life, as a payless sap working at the local tavern, I wouldn't have bothered taking places with him. Still...this Giselle girl sounds like it'll be worth it." Devin thought. The two boys continued along towards the inn, just up the road from where they met up. The inn was a slightly worn down building with wooden shutters and a large sign that read "Inn" hanging above the door, but slightly on an angle. There were pots of flowers lined up along the front entrance. Devin and Eugene hurried inside and rushed up to the front counter.

"S-Sorry it took so long Miss Haggison. But...I found Elliot." Eugene reported. Devin looked over the counter, catching notice of Miss Haggison. She was a large bodied woman with curly orange hair and freckles spotted her two cheeks. She was seen wearing a green dress, mostly covered by a large white apron.

"Ah! There you are Elliot. We were really worried about you when you didn't come back from your trip to the palace gates. Were ya able to get the wood delivered?" she asked. Devin glared on at Miss Haggison with a slightly "creeped out" glare in his eyes.

"Uhh...y-yeah. Things went SMOOTHLY back at the palace...M-Miss Haggison." he stuttered. But Eugene gave him a confused glare, quickly noticed by the phony Elliot.

"H-Huh? But...you told me you had some...ouf!" Eugene asked, cut off by Devin gutting the lad in the stomach with his elbow. Devin glared annyoingly to Eugene before directing his gaze back to Miss Haggison.

"Well, its a good thing you're back dearie. Giselle could use some help in the kitchen. So...hop to it lad." she said. Devin sighed and nodded, making his way behind the front counter with Eugene.

"Sheesh Elliot. What was THAT for back there? You're acting WEIRD all of a sudden." Eugene asked, rubbing his stomach. Devin was quick to apologize, saying his arm simply slipped was all.

"W-Well, anyway, I got to go upstairs and see how the guests are doing. You'll be doing kitchen duty with Giselle. Good luck with my sister." he said. He then made his way back to the front as Devin watched.

"Hmm. Maybe I overdid it a bit back there. I'd better watch what I'm doing. I'm supposed to be Elliot after all. But...wait. Giselle...is the runt's sister?" Devin asked. Just then, he heard the voice of someone humming nearby. He looked towards the far side of the kitchen, towards the sink where the dishes were being washed. He noticed a young pre-teen girl with long silky black hair, dressed in a european themed gown with a few patched spots along the skirt. She looked back, glancing at Devin with the same light brown eyes as her brother. This girl was Giselle.

"Hey there Elliot. Welcome back." she said, lightly smiling to Devin. The minute the prince's eyes laid sight on Giselle, Devin gasped and began to blush.

"I-It's HER! T-The girl I was looking for!" he thought. He thought back to the day he first saw her, seated in her desk while being taught by the palace's royal teacher. He glanced out the window to see Giselle carrying a basket of apples in her arms, waving happily to the other people within town. He felt as if he just saw an angel the minute he spotted Giselle. Flashing back to the present, Devin stood there and quietly looked on at Giselle, who lightly chuckled.

"Come on. I know people say I'm cute and everything...but I could really use your help Elliot. Can you please lend a hand?" she asked. Devin quickly snapped out of his trance before slipping out of his scarf and cap before rushing over to Giselle's side.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	4. Chapter 4: Budding Feelings of Romance

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 04: Budding Feelings of Romance**_

Returning to the palace, Elliot led his guest, Princess Eloise, up the flight of stairs and back towards Devin's royal chamber. He nervously glanced back occasionally towards the princess, following close behind him. Unknown to him, the princess seemed to be slowly catching onto the idea that her "prince" was not the prince she was expecting. Just then, as they reached the floor in question, Eloise happened to notice a large portrait on the wall of the hallway. Beneath it was a small table with a pot of beautiful flowers. The portrait itself was that of a beautiful woman.

"Hmm? Excuse me, prince? Who is this woman?" she asked. Elliot slowly came to a halt and turned towards the portrait. Elliot looked on at the portrait, his eyes fixated on the radiant look in her eyes.

"I...don't really know. Doesn't ring a bell to me." he answered. Eloise soon noticed a name plate on the bottom of the frame. On a gold plate, it read "Queen Elizabeth".

"Queen...Elizabeth. Hmm. I'm guessing this is a portrait of your late mother." she said. Elliot lightly glanced to Eloise before facing the portrait again.

"R-Really?" he asked. He quietly glared on at Elizabeth's painting, her calm and relaxed smile as she was seen wearing her royal robes.

"This must be the prince's mother. From what Randolph said, she died alongside the previous king. I wonder if the prince misses her." Elliot thought. But just then, he took a deeper look at Elizabeth's face, hearing Eloise's voice repeating the queen's name in his head. Strangely, his eyes slowly began to widen as a tear came to his eye. Following this was a sudden memory flashing itself in his head. It was a bright and sunny day as he envisioned himself as a baby, wearing warm footy pajamas as he was cradled in a woman's loving arms. Baby Elliot gave a light coo as his eyes slowly opened, seeing a faint shadow where the woman's face was. And, as the shadow came into light, Elliot saw the face of Elizabeth. He then lightly gasped, snapping out of his memory and back to the real world, awoken by Eloise shaking him.

"Prince Devin? Prince Devin! W-Wake up!" Eloise called. Elliot quickly rattled his head before looking back to the princess.

"H-Huh? What's wrong?" he asked. Eloise, glad to see Elliot out of his trance, lightly sighed.

"That's what I want to ask. You were looking at your mother's portrait and just...spaced out." she asked. Elliot rubbed his eyes before glancing back at the painting.

"Oh. S-Sorry. I was...just thinking of the faint memories I had of her...as a baby." he muttered, doing his best to lie. Eloise looked towards Elliot's face, seeing the concerned look in his eyes.

"I guess you really miss her if a memory of her suddenly came to you." she said. Elliot nodded, guessing that was the reason. Eloise then continued along the hallway, unknowingly leaving Elliot alone to stare at Elizabeth's portrait.

"That's...so weird. This is the prince's mother. But...why did I...envision her like that?" Elliot thought. He then heard the princess' voice call out to him and hurried to rejoin her. The two then entered the prince's chamber as Eloise lightly glanced around the room. To her surprise, the room was more "clean" than she was expecting.

"Hmm. Interesting." she said, catching Elliot's attention.

"Hmm? W-What?" Elliot asked. The princess turned to him with her arms crossed.

"Well, after hearing all the stories I've heard about you, I imagined your room to be...more vulgar and messy than this." she said. Elliot lightly blushed, a bit embarrassed to hear that, even if he was pretending to be the prince.

"H-HEY! I do NOT let my room become a pigsty! T-This isn't even my...D'oh!" Elliot exclaimed, stopping himself before he blabbed anymore. Eloise continued examining the room and came upon the bookshelves on the far side of the room.

"Hmm. So I take it you like to read." she said, plucking a book from the shelf. Elliot approached her side as she flipped open the book and looked at the pages within.

"Y-Yes. I love to read...actually. I think its a lot of fun. You never know what's going to happen next un...until you turn the page. That's how I feel when I read a story." Elliot chuckled. Eloise gave a slightly "coy" laugh as she returned the book to the shelf.

"Is...something wrong?" Elliot asked. Eloise picked another book from the shelf before slipping it back.

"That's what other royal men said to me...before I find out that they never read a book in their life." she said. Elliot glared on with confusion.

"H-Huh? You mean...I'm not the first prince you've been with?" Elliot asked. Eloise glanced towards him.

"Are you kidding? Not even close. I used to be around other noblemen about your age before. It was before the problems that are befalling our two kingdoms. And...believe me when I say they were more slobbish than you." she said, examining the other books "They used to mock and tease me because I was "too serious" or...I was a "nerd" for liking to read or because I was too "girl-y" for them. They just wanted a girl who would suck up to them. They hardly talked about how they plan to benefit their kingdom." Elliot seemed a bit surprised, watching as the princess continued flipping through book after book.

"T-That's weird. Back at...the orphanage, I was...mocked because I was...kind of a "nerd" too. I mean, sure, Eugene stuck up for me...but...it did get annoying." Elliot muttered. This lightly caught the princess' ear as she turned back to him.

"Hmm? You say something prince?" she asked. Elliot gasped and quickly covered his mouth. Fearing he said too much, Elliot began waving his hands nervously.

"Uhhh...n-nevermind what I just said! It was...a slip of the tongue!" he gasped. Eloise slowly turned herself back towards Elliot, glancing straight on into his eyes.

"You know...you've been acting really STRANGE since we first met...not at ALL how I thought you'd be. Are you SURE you're Prince Devin, only son of this land's previous rulers?" she asked. Elliot gulped, sweat racing down the back of his head. He nervously looked away with a light chuckle, trying to not make eye contact. Eloise continued to glare at him before shedding a small smile.

"Hmph. I suppose I should be glad that you AREN'T the man I envisioned you to be. You're actually...very nice." she said. Elliot lightly gasped as he looked back to the princess. He started to blush as his face became light red.

"W-Wow. I...I never thought I'd hear a royal...say that about me." he thought.

"I don't know what it is, but...you give off more of a inviting air about you than the other princes did. Why is that do you think?" she asked. Elliot merely shrugged.

"I...I really don't know. Guess it's just because, deep down, I'm a really nice guy. At least, that's what the people in town say about me." he explained "They welcomed me with a warm reception and, in turn, it helped me grow into the person I am now." Eloise lightly smiled.

"I can tell." she replied. Just then, Elliot noticed Eloise extending her hand out towards him.

"Well, if its all right with you, I'd like to see more of your castle. Will you show me around?" she asked. Elliot quietly looked on before glancing down to her hand. He slowly reached out, gently taking hold of her hand.

"A-All right." he muttered. The two then made their way back out into the hallway with their hands intertwined with one another.

* * *

 _Their first stop on their tour of the castle was a hall on the first floor. There were many suits of armors lined up side by side with one another. Above each of the suits was a portrait of the brave knight they belonged to. Elliot knew these faces, having read books about them while he was in town and happily told the princess about each of the knights from their faces. Eloise lightly smiled as she listened to each word he said._

 _Their next stop was out to the royal garden behind the castle. It was an absolute beauty with lovely, healthy vibrant flowers as far as the eye could see, decorated with wooden arches wrapped around by flowers and vines. The garden was tended to by the royal maids that the king had employeed. Eloise was a fan of flowers as she was dashing around from flower to flower, looking on at them with a smile on her face. The two kids played with each other as they peeked at each other from behind hedges and bushes in the garden. One instant, where Eloise popped out from behind a large hedge, spooked Elliot into falling into a small waiting pool, filled with goldfish that swam away when he landed. The impact caused the crown atop his head to fall into the water. One look at the drenched Elliot had Eloise smiling before she shed a giggle. Seeing himself partially soaked made Elliot laugh as well._

 _After being pulled from the water, the two found their way to the royal library by the dining hall. The library was lined with just about every book, possibly even more, published within the kingdom. They had fun picking books from the shelves and reading together. Some of Elliot's favorite books were within the palace collection too. The more they did, the more the princess seemed to smile. And, without realizing it, the two were being secretly watched by Henrietta and Randolph, happy to see the two liking one another._

 _Their next stop was the large royal hall just beyond the foyer. It was a large and beautiful room with an upper floor that could be reached from up above and the ledge held up by marble pillars. As they entered, the already enthralled princess started to dance around like a ballerina who found her stage. Elliot watched on with a smile on his face, happily entranced by Eloise's dance. But just then, he found himself pulled into the fray when Eloise took hold of his hands and invited him to dance. The boy was quite nervous as he never danced before, but seemed to adapt very quickly as he danced hand in hand with Eloise across the floor. The two looked on at each other with a light smile on their faces._

* * *

"You dance so beautifully princess. You're so light on your feet." Elliot said. Eloise chuckled.

"Well, I did learn how to ballroom dance from my mother. So...you should really thank her. I mean, at first, I was a complete clutz when it came to dancing. I always tripped over my own two feet." she said, looking away while she blushed. Elliot smiled.

"Looking at you now...I have a hard time believing that. I feel as if...I'm dancing with an angel." he said. By this point, Elliot seemed to have forgotten about everything else, including the fact he was not the real prince and was supposed to not have the princess fall for him. But all the time he spent with Eloise, just having fun, had Elliot now head over heels in love with her. And the feeling seemed mutual as Eloise had an equal look on her face, blushing from ear to ear.

"T-Thank you. That's...the kindest thing...any prince has ever said to me." she muttered. Elliot smiled as he and the princess continued their dance before coming to a stop. Their eyes looked on at one another with that special kind of twinkle that could come from love. The princess was happier than she thought she would be, entranced by the "playboy" prince.

"Thank you again...for all the kindness you've given me. You've accepted me for who I really am...something no one ever did before. And...I've had more fun than I could've imagined. I hope...you'll allow this princess...one request." she muttered. Elliot looked on at Eloise, their hand still holding onto one another.

"And what would that be?" he asked. Eloise lightly looked away blushing before she chuckled, turning back to Elliot.

"This." she whispered. They slowly came to a stop as the two faced each other. She slowly brought her face closer towards his, preparing to kiss Elliot. Suddenly realizing what was going on, Elliot quickly snapped back to "normal" as he looked nervously at Eloise's soft lips. Once again, they were watched from nearby by Henrietta and Randolph.

"Oh! I'm so excited!" Henrietta muttered, keeping her voice low.

"That a boy your majesty. I knew you could do it." Randolph said. Fearing what was happening, Elliot slowly leaned away from her as Eloise's puckered lips drew nearer. However, just before their lips could meet, they heard the sounds of marching footsteps. They were abruptly ended as they both turned and saw a pair of knights entering the room. These were not the same guards from the palace gates but were other knights that routinely patrolled the castle.

"Pardon us Prince Devin. I hope we were not...interrupting anything." one of them asked. Elliot and Eloise looked to each other before suddenly breaking their grip apart and turned away, both looking heavily embarrassed.

"N-No. You didn't. I...I was just getting to better know the princess. T-That's all..." Elliot said. Eloise looked over her shoulder and lightly chuckled as Elliot looked back to her, chuckling himself.

"Y-Yes sir. Anyway, we come bearing a request for your audience." the other knight asked. The two kids turned to the knight as Henrietta and Randolph observed.

"Someone wants to see me?" Elliot asked.

"Yes sir. Your uncle, King Alexander, wishes to see his nephew and have a full report on the situation between you and Princess Eloise." the first knight answered. Elliot lightly gasped as Eloise turned back towards him.

"T-The king...w-w-wants to see...ME?!" Elliot asked, pointing to himself. Fearing that the jig would be up the minute the king laid eyes on him, he took a fearful gulp before creaking his head into a nod. Randolph quickly took notice of Elliot's worried face, as did Eloise.

"What's wrong? Prince Devin?" Eloise asked. Elliot nervously glanced towards the princess with an uneasy look on his face before shedding a rather fearful smile on his face. As all of this was going on above in the castle, we change scenes to a long stairway heading down towards the castle's cellar, walked by the quiet Vlad. The cellar was dimly lit as it was previously used as a dungeon. Today, the cellar was converted into Vlad's chamber, rarely as decorated as the rooms up above. The room was lit by wall torches as we notice Vlad entering the room, taking a torch from the wall and approached the far side of the room. In the light of the flame, a large framed portrait is seen against the wall. It was a painted picture of the late King William and his queen, both dressed in their royal clothes. Surprisingly, in the queen's arms was a baby wrapped in a warm blanket. He stared on at the baby's face. With one hand, he reached out towards the painting, lightly wiping his hand acorss the baby's face. The longer he looked at the portrait, the more angry he seemed to have become before he swiftly turned away, making a fist.

"So...that little brat IS alive after all. Had I known...but...wait. If he is here, what became of that OTHER prince?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at the painting.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	5. Chapter 5: Exposed Truths

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 05: Exposed Truths**_

The pair of knights began their escort mission, bringing Elliot to meet King Alexander, the current ruler of their kingdom. Before leaving, Elliot asked Eloise to please wait for him in Devin's chamber, fearing her heart might be shattered if she found out he was a phony prince. To him, this trip to see the king meant that the "jig" was up and he was going to be exposed. But, surprisingly, Elliot noticed Randolph was following him from behind, staying very close to the knights. Elliot occasionally glanced back to Randolph, seeing a partial smile on his face.

"It is okay prince. Don't be worried. It's just a meeting with your uncle...nothing to fret my boy." he said. Elliot sighed.

"If only you knew...Mr. Randolph...that I'm NOT the prince." Elliot thought. He heavily sighed.

"I can imagine how this will end...with me being thrown in the dungeon." he muttered under his breath. The group made their way towards the king's chamber as we take a momentary leave and join Eloise and Henrietta in the prince's room. Seating herself on the bed, Eloise quietly sat with her hands resting on her lap. She slowly raised her right hand and glanced at her palm, recounting the happiness she had with Elliot. Their laughter echoed inside of her head as she stared blandly.

"Did you see the look on the prince's face? I wonder why he seemed so nervous about seeing his uncle? They are family after all." Henrietta asked. Eloise still remained quiet, her hand returning to her knees as her feet gently swayed in place. As she was browsing around the room, Henrietta quickly took notice of Eloise.

"Hmm? Princess Eloise? Is something the matter?" she asked. Eloise glanced towards her, a worried expression on her face.

"Henrietta? Do you think...love is real?" she asked. Henrietta glanced towards the princess and nodded, walking towards the bed.

"Of course my dear. After all, had your parents not fallen in love, you would not be here today." she said, kneeling down to her eye level "Why do you ask?" Eloise looked down towards the floor and then back to her maid's face.

"Then...I think I have fallen in love..." she said. Henrietta smiled, but returned to a distraught look as Eloise turned away.

"But...with someone else. Someone...who doesn't quite feel...like the prince...but...like someone I've longed to meet." she muttered. Henrietta looked on confusingly.

"W-What do you mean?" Henrietta asked. Eloise looked back to her maid.

"Well...I've been thinking. Wh-What if this isn't the REAL prince? I mean...he's different. WAY DIFFERENT than the Devin I was expecting. I was expecting...another snobbish man like...the others. But...the boy I've been with...has made me so happy...finally treating me...l-like...like...like..." Eloise said, leaking tears from her eyes. Henrietta noticed Eloise's tears as she heard her start to sniffle. When Eloise started breaking into full fledge crying, burying her face in her hands, Henrietta quickly hugged her and cuddled her in her arms. She felt one of Eloise's hands gripping her maid uniform as her eyes slowly closed.

"Henrietta...I...I don't want...I don't want this prince...the boy I just met...to be fake! I...I really do love him!" she cried. Henrietta gently rubbed the back of Eloise's head, her fingers slipping through her hair.

"Princess...if you're that worried...then go. Go chase after who you love. Don't let anything stop you." she muttered. Eloise looked at her maid's face, asking what she would say to her parents if they found out.

"Just tell them that you've found someone wonderful...someone who treasures you with all their heart. If you're worried, then...I'll speak to them for you. You forget how long I've worked for your mother and father." she said. Still crying, Eloise looked up to her and gently smiled.

"Thank you...Henrietta." she muttered, wiping the tears from her eyes. With that, Eloise hopped off the bed and rushed out the door, finding the closest servant and learned the directions to the king's chamber. Henrietta watched her rush out of the room with a smile on her face.

"Go...my dear princess." she muttered. Eloise made her way straight towards the king's royal chamber. She ran as fast as she could, slowly coming to a stop when she saw the same pair of knights guarding the doorway to the king's room. One of them saw her approaching.

"I'm sorry Princess Eloise. But King Alexander wishes to speak to the prince alone." one knight spoke. With a worried look on her face, Eloise looked on at the doors.

"O-Okay..." she replied. She quietly looked to the door as, on the other side, Elliot stood alone with Randolph at his side. They had just arrived when Eloise arrived on the opposite side. Elliot nervously looked on at the king's backside, seated at his desk writing something in a book. His eyes trembled as he felt his heart racing.

"Excuse us, your majesty, but...the prince and I are here. You summoned for us?" Randolph said. The king gently set down his writing quill before slowly rising from his chair. He took a moment to stretch his arms before crossing them behind his back.

"Yes Randolph. I hope things are going well with Princess Eloise? My men told me that she arrived earlier today." he asked. Randolph nodded, lightly glancing to Elliot.

"Indeed sir. And...to our surprise...someone else arrived earlier today as well." he said. Elliot looked up to Randolph in confusion.

"W-What...?" Elliot thought. Alexander seemed a bit confused as Elliot looked at his reflection in a nearby window.

"Hmm? What do you mean Randolph? We weren't expecting anyone else." Alexander asked. Randolph lightly chuckled.

"Why not have a look for yourself, your majesty?" he asked "You may be very surprised." Elliot looked on anxiously as the king slowly turned around to face them. He lightly gasped at the sight of the king's face. King Alexander was a middle aged man with dark brown hair and a goatee around his mouth. He looked on with powerful dark gold eyes. He was dressed in dark red garnments along with a flowing cloak cape behind him. Elliot felt his legs beginning to wobble as he looked on.

"I...I don't believe it. It's...t-the king!" Elliot thought, watching as the king's eyes were soon on him. He lightly gasped, blushing slightly, as to his surprise, the king lightly gasped himself. Then, to add more surprise, Randolph slowly began to back away as Alexander approached. Elliot quickly took notice.

"C-Can it be...?!" the king asked softly. Elliot turned back nervously, feeling his entire body trembling. Fearing things were about to go wrong, he suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching both hands together as he brought them up above his head.

"I-I'm sorry your majesty! Prince Devin wanted me to do this! H-He...He went into town a-and...!" Elliot exclaimed. But, to Elliot's surprise, he felt the king gently placing his hands on his shoulders. Surprised, he lowered his defenses, gazing at the king's surprised yet happy face.

"W-What?" Elliot asked. Alexander looked around Elliot's face, glancing at its various features as he rest one hand against Elliot's cheek.

"My brother's eyes...Elizabeth's nose...yes...yes! This IS him!" the king thought. Then suddenly, Elliot found himself drawn closer as the king wrapped his arms around him. Taken by surprise, Elliot's eyes glanced towards the king.

"Your highness...?" he asked.

"It's you...my brother's son. It IS you. You're alive." he muttered. Randolph lightly smiled as Elliot still remained puzzled.

"H-Huh? What did you say? Is...Is something wrong?" Elliot asked. The king smiled as he faced Elliot once more.

"Young man...tell me something. Your name, what is it?" he asked. Elliot pointed to himself.

"M-Me? It's D-Dev..." he began to say, stopped when he saw the king's eyes change glance "I...I mean...Elliot sir. A peasant boy who works for Miss Haggison at the town inn." Returning to a smile, the king gently rubbed Elliot's cheek.

"So it IS you. Elliot...my nephew...at long last, we've found you." he said. Elliot gasped.

"W-W-What?!" Elliot asked. The king smiled as he looked to Randolph, who lightly smiled back. Elliot turned to Randolph.

"M-Mister Randolph? Does...Does this mean...?" he asked. But before he could finish, the butler chuckled with a nod.

"Yes. From the instant I met you, I knew you were NOT the Devin I was sent to fetch. I only acted like I didn't know...because I was curious as to your identity. But...it became clear to me...while I watched you with the princess. The late queen was a gifted dancer and such a charming young woman who loved everyone. I could easily see that same radiance, her warmth, emanating from you...my dear boy." Randolph said. Elliot lightly gasped as his face turned back to Alexander's.

"Tell me Elliot. What is the last thing you remember from your childhood? Do you remember...the fire that took place in the lower quarter of the kingdom?" Alexander asked. Elliot gasped, lightly nodding afterwards.

"Y-Yes sir. Its common knowledge for everyone in the town. That's when the last king, King William, passed on in a tragic wildfire." he said "I...I think Miss Haggison said that my parents, also a pair of peasants, were mixed up in that. She found me, left alone as a baby, in the streets after the fire was put out. I...I don't really remember what happened that day. But...I'm sure I was there too. Wasn't it...when King William was revealing the birth of his son to everyone?" Alexander gently smiled.

"Yes. That fire took many lives. My brother and his wife WERE caught in the fire. We lost members of royalty that day...very dear people to me. But...what you probably don't know...is that their son, the prince, survived despite being a near infant." he spoke "And Elliot...my boy...that child was you." Elliot gasped, his eyes widening from surprise.

"W-What?! N-No way. It can't be. I...I already met the prince! It's Prince Devin!" he shouted. Alexander looked at him with a light nod before returning to his desk. He opened one of the drawers and shuffled through its contents before taking out an old picture. He then returned to Elliot and passed it to him.

"Here. This is a drawing...a drawing that my late brother made. It was how he pictured his son when he would be your age." he said. Looking at the image, Elliot lightly gasped, seeing how much of a resemblance there was between him and the late king's drawing. They looked like exact doubles of each other.

"T-That's strange. This boy...he doesn't look like Devin." he said. Alexander nodded.

"Yes. It is not him. It is YOU...Elliot. You are my brother's son, my nephew...the TRUE prince of this kingdom." he said. Elliot lightly gasped, dropping the picture in his hand and letting it flutter to the ground. Still unable to comprehend everything, Elliot slowly started walking backwards.

"W-Wait. No. I...I can't be...ME? Royalty?!" Elliot stuttered, gently backing away from the king. He quickly turned around and his hand latched onto the doorknob leading out of the room. But before he could leave, Alexander slowly stood upright before beginning to hum a strange melody. As it passed its way into Elliot's ear, hand still latched to the knob, he gasped and started to have the same flashback from earlier, imagining himself to be a child in the queen's arms. He imagined her humming the same song with a smile on her face. His eyes remained motionless as the song continued.

"T-That song...it sounds...so familiar Wh...Why?" he muttered. Alexander smiled as he patted Elliot's head, turning his attention back to him.

"Yes. That was the song my sister-in-law sang to you whenever you cried. I know it because...you were quite the crybaby as a child. She sang it so much that it stained itself in my memories. For you to recognize that song right away...that proves you're my brother's child." he said. Elliot quietly looked on before a knock came to the door. Elliot looked back as Alexander smiled.

"Ah. I knew she was out there. Princess Eloise? I know you are out there. Guards? She may enter." Alexander called. Elliot gasped, watching the door slowly creak open and the princess peeked inside. The doors fully opened to reveal the two guards standing watch before.

"Pardon us your majesty. We couldn't help but overhear. Is this true? Has the real prince returned?" one asked. Alexander nodded.

"Yes. We've found him...at long last." he said. Elliot looked on as Eloise slowly approached him. He nervously backed up, colliding with the king's legs, before he felt his hands gently nudge him forward. As Randolph slowly backed away, the two children nervously faced one another, the princess' hands overlapped.

"So...it is Elliot, correct? Not Devin...?" she asked. Elliot's eyes remained firm on Eloise before slowly bringing his gaze to the floor. Eloise did not flinch as Elliot's eyes began to water.

"Eloise...I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. Its...not in my nature to lie. D-Devin put me up to this from the start. If...If you hate me, I deserve it." he sniffled, tears leaking from his eyes. Silence fell between the two of them as Eloise began to blush and tears came to her eyes as well as a smile on her lips. Elliot didn't notice as he still was looking down. When he couldn't take the silence, he looked back up at her.

"P-Princess...?" he asked. But the moment he did, he was suddenly rushed by the princess. She threw her arms around Elliot, heavily surprising and almost throwing Elliot to the ground. She then started to sniffle and whimper slightly. Elliot quickly took notice as her head rested on his shoulders.

"Eloise...what's wrong?" Elliot asked.

"Thank goodness...Thank the gods...he's not fake..." she sniffled. She then brought herself to face Elliot, still heavily blushing with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"You ARE real." she muttered. Elliot looked on in surprise at the princess' teary eyed face. As he was about to speak, his words were immediately cut off by the princess' soft lips meeting his. This made Elliot bright red, redder than he ever was before. His first kiss was stolen from him by that of royalty, a princess no less. Randolph smiled as he noticed Henrietta watching from the door as well, having just arrived. They both looked at each other with warmth before looking back at the children. As their kiss came to a close, Eloise looked on at Elliot while she rested one hand against his cheek.

"Its okay...really. I'm not mad at you for lying. I'm sure you didn't know either." she said "But...I want to state, for the record, that I originally didn't think you were "Devin" myself either. The Devin I heard so much about...he would NEVER have made me fall in love with him as fast as you have." Elliot blushed as he gently put one hand overlapping hers.

"Y-You're in love...with...little old me?" he asked. Eloise nodded.

"You've made me happier than I've been in a long time...Prince Elliot. And, for that, I want to say, with all my heart...I love you." she said, whispering at the end. She then brought herself closer to Elliot, hugging him gently. The boy was a bit hesitant at first but soon found himself wrapping arms around Eloise himself. Their eyes slowly closed as they felt the other's gentle warmth embracing the other.

"I...I love you too...Eloise." he muttered. Alexander lightly smiled.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	6. Chapter 6: Approaching Darkness

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 06: Approaching Darkness**_

A while later, we return to the streets outside the castle walls where we find Devin, still disguised in Elliot's clothing, taking a break from work alongside Eugene. Devin was heavily sweating as he hadn't hard a hard day's work like this. The two of them were seated outside the front door of the inn.

"Phew. Man. Elliot sure runs himself ragged working here." Devin panted, fanning himself with his cap "How does he STAND it?" Eugene glanced to him and grinned lightly.

"Hey...Elliot? You seemed a bit sluggish today when it came to work. Usually, you're at the top of your game when it came to the chores Miss Haggison gave us. What happened to you? Are you finally reaching your limits? Heh heh heh." Eugene asked. Devin looked to Eugene and lightly chuckled, still fanning himself with the cap.

"Ah. S-Sorry there kiddo. But...you see...I was rather "distracted" by that charming sister of yours. Plus, I haven't really worked this hard in a LONG time..." Devin said. Eugene's eyes widened in surprise before he glared in disgust.

"Okay. SERIOUSLY. Who ARE you? You're definitely not MY Elliot." he asked. Fearing he broke his cover, he quickly chuckled and rubbed Eugene's head feverishly.

"I AM Elliot! Come on! Don't tell me you don't recognize your best friend!" he laughed. Eugene swatted away Devin's hands.

"Yeah right. I KNOW Elliot since he and I have been childhood friends since forever. Now OUT with it! Who are you and what did you do with my friend?!" Eugene shouted. Giselle soon appeared on the scene, still holding a plate in her hands.

"Eugene? What's all the ruckus about out here?" she asked. Before he could speak, Devin covered his mouth.

"Ah! N-Nothing! The squirt and I were just...w-what the?" Devin said, stopping when he noticed a crowd of people passing them by and on their way towards the castle gates. Eugene and Giselle noticed as well as the two boys quickly sprung to their feet.

"Hey. Is...Is something going on at the castle?" Eugene asked. Devin shrugged, saying he didn't quite know himself. The more people he saw pass them by, the more Devin started to worry. When Eugene stopped one of the patrons and asked what was going on, he was told that the king was summoning the citizens to come to the castle gates for an important announcement. The sound of this news made Devin heavily worry as he quickly gasped shortly after. His eyes shifted, following along with the crowd.

"Elliot...don't tell me you're involved somehow." he thought. Without thinking, he suddenly made his way behind the crowd of people, slightly surprising Eugene.

"H-Hey you! W-Wait for me!" Eugene exclaimed. Before giving chase after him, Eugene told Giselle to get Miss Haggison quickly. The crowd led Devin and Eugene towards the front gates to the castle, where there appeared to be quite a scene as a giant group of people were already gathered there. The two boys quickly squeezed their way inbetween the crowd of people, making their way towards the front. Eugene was the first as he looked towards the front gates and saw King Alexander standing alongside Randolph, Henrietta and Princess Eloise.

"H-Hey! It's...It's King Alexander!" Eugene exclaimed. Hearing Eugene's voice, Devin gasped as he forced himself faster through the crowd.

"Everyone. Thank you all for coming. We have an important announcement for you all." the king said. Eugene looked on in sheer amazement as this was the first time he saw their king in the flesh. Devin was having a hard time squeezing through the crowds to catch up, feverishly trying to reach the front. Just then, Eugene watched as Elliot, dressed in Devin's royal garments, slowly approached the princess' side, keeping his eyes glued to the ground as to not show his face. Once he stopped at her side, Eloise turned to him.

"Elliot? What's wrong? You should be looking at your subjects with pride." she said "From what you told me, everyone loves you." Elliot gently glanced to her, apologizing quietly as he was too nervous and embarrassed to face them. Just then, he felt the king's hand on his shoulder, making him flinch.

"My subjects. Before I make my announcement, I must first...apologize to you for keeping a great lie from you all." he said. The crowd gasped and began to murmur, wondering what was going on as Giselle and Miss Haggison suddenly arrived at the back of the crowd.

"D-Do you see Elliot or Eugene miss?" Giselle asked. The large older woman peered around the crowd as best she could.

"N-No my dear! I don't see the lads anywhere. You did say they got here before you, correct?" she asked. Giselle nodded as attention turned back to the king.

"For many years now, my servants, the royal knights and I have left you all in the dark. Surely you know of the prince...Prince Devin. Well, today, I wish to reveal to you all...that Devin is not the rightful heir to the throne." he said. The crowd suddenly gasped as Devin finally made his way to the front. The instant he arrived, he looked on at Alexander, seeing his hand on Elliot's shoulder.

"W-What the...?" he muttered.

"Since the day the terrible wild fire happened in our kingdom, I was afraid that we had lost my brother's family, every last one of them. If you recall, my brother, the late King William, had a unnamed son that he planned to announce to everyone on the night of fire. For a long time now, you believed that boy to be Devin, the prince we all know now. But...in actuality, this was a cover up to keep you from worrying about the royal family." he explained. Devin lightly gasped, his eyes slowly widening.

"I'm...I'm a WHAT?!" he thought. His eyes looked angrily towards Elliot, who just noticed Devin looking at him and turned away frightfully.

"In actuality, Devin is the child of a pair of brave couple who risked themselves to try and save my brother's child from the fire. Sadly, they too perished in the flames while their child, Devin, survived." Alexander continued. Elliot nervously glanced to the king, who looked to him and lightly nodded.

"Since then...we were all convinced my brother's son perished too. With their dying words, the couple begged me to take their child in place of his...to sustain order in the kingdom." Alexander explained "But now...I am happy to announce to you all that, of my late brother's family, there WAS a survivor of the fire. I would like you to meet...King William's TRUE son...whom finally emerged before me after so long. Please welcome...Prince Elliot Adalbern!" With this, Elliot slowly raised his head and looked to the crowd of people. The first to gasp was Eugene, followed afterwards by the other people in the crowd. Devin's eyes still remained narrowed and angered.

"W-Wait! Isn't that...Elliot?! The lad who works with Miss Haggison at the inn?!" a man asked.

"Y-Yes! It IS him! I recognize those eyes anywhere! W-When did he meet with the king?!" a woman exclaimed. Elliot nervously looked around the crowd, seeing all the eyes glancing at him. He was soon noticed by Miss Haggison and Giselle.

"H-Huh? But...wait. Elliot was back with us at the inn. So...h-how did he...?" Miss Haggison asked. Giselle shook her head.

"I...I don't know." she replied. At the front, Eugene looked to Devin.

"Aha! I KNEW it!" Eugene shouted. Glancing to him, Devin growled and shoved Eugene down. He then suddenly stepped forward angrily, reaching into his pants pocket.

"Hey...DAD! I've got a bone to pick with you!" he yelled. Elliot gasped as he looked towards him.

"D-Devin!" he gasped. Hearing Elliot point him out, Eloise gasped and quickly looked towards him.

"Devin? Then...he is the prince I was supposed to meet?" Eloise thought. Devin glared angrily at the king as he frantically checked both his pockets.

"What are you talking about?! Whaddya mean I'm NOT the real prince?! Huh?! I've lived in this castle since I was born! You said so yourself! So...tell me, if I'm not REAL, then why do I have THIS?! You gave this to me on my tenth birthday!" Devin exclaimed. From his pants pocket, he swiftly drew out a gold ring. The sight of it had the other citizens gasping from shock.

"I-It's the royal ring! So...that boy...is Devin?" someone in the crowd called. Elliot looked surprisingly at Devin, having not seen the ring before when they last met.

"This ring is supposed to be the official symbol of someone who is royalty! It's SACRED among the royal family! That's what you told me the day you gave it to me! So...you're telling me it was a LIE?! Some kind of joke?! And what's this about this...this...LIFE STEALER being the real prince?! Huh?!" Devin shouted. Alexander glared on quietly at Devin, not saying a word, before looking back to his subjects.

"Tomorrow...I invite you all to my nephew's coronation. Tomorrow morning, we shall crown Elliot the next to inherit my throne...as is his birthright." Alexander said. Devin lightly gasped as the crowd did the same. Elliot looked to Eugene and lightly waved, trying to not make eye contact with Devin.

"H-Hi...Eugene." he muttered. With a smile on his face, Eugene rushed over towards Elliot, followed by Devin. But the two were stopped by a pair of knights crossing their blades in front of him. These were the same knights from the front gates of the castle, the ones who always had known Devin's tricks.

"Hey! Out of my way! I demand you move!" Devin shouted, flashing the ring at them. But suddenly, one of the knights took the ring away from him, causing him to gasp.

"No one approaches the prince on our watch! Back! The both of you!" the same knight shouted. Devin's anger began bubbling as Elliot approached the two knights.

"No no. It's okay. This is Eugene...a friend of mine from the village." Elliot said. The knights nodded and withdrew their weapons, allowing Elliot and Eugene to meet. But when Devin tried to pass through, the knights stopped him again, making him more angry. The two friends happily held hands as Eugene was static with energy.

"Elliot! No way! Y-You're royalty?! Why didn't you tell me big bro?!" he laughed. Elliot looked to his friend and lightly chuckled.

"Well, I didn't know myself Eugene. If...If the king...I mean my uncle, will permit me...I'd be glad to share the story with you." Elliot said, looking up to the king. Alexander looked down to him and smiled. He knelt down to the boy's level as Devin looked on.

"Eugene, was it? I understand you were a good friend to my nephew while he stayed with you at our inn. He's told me all about the kind people who've looked out for him all these years and he talked about you so much." Alexander asked. Eugene nodded, saying he and Elliot were eternal best friends. Alexander smiled, gently patting his head.

"Then...if you will allow me, Eugene, I would like to invite you along with Elliot's other friends to join us for a banquet tonight to celebrate. I wish to repay the kind people that took such good care of my nephew." he said. Eugene gasped, stuttering as he slowly slipped off his cap.

"I-I-It would be an HONOR...your majesty. I-I think Miss Haggison and my sister are somewhere in the crowd as well. L-Let me fetch them." he stuttered. With a nod from the king, he then rushed back towards the crowd to find them as Alexander's eyes turned back to Devin, who still glared at the king with hate in his eyes.

"Hey...I still never got my answer "daddy". WHY are you replacing me with him? Why are you all suddenly treating me, the kid you've raised since childhood, like an outcast? You wouldn't have found this...this LIFE STEALER if it weren't for me!" Devin shouted, hurting Elliot with the nickname "Life Stealer" in such hatred "In fact, I should STILL be considered your kid too! I lived here for as long as I can remember! I have...HAD the royal ring!" Alexander remained quiet as Eloise and Elliot looked on between the two.

"Devin...my boy. You are welcome to join us as well. I'd be more than happy to explain the situation with you at dinner." he said. Devin growled as Alexander went to speak with the crowd about the coronation. But as the king's back was turned, Devin glared angrily at Elliot, looking back with fear. With a hate filled snarl, he suddenly charged him before the knights could stop him and grabbed Elliot's robe with blind anger. Eloise gasped.

"You! Exactly WHAT happened in this one day...ONE DAY...that I leave you in my shoes? Huh?! TELL ME! What did you do?! Did you forget what I WARNED you NOT to do?!" Devin growled, shaking Elliot in a fit of anger. Elliot tried to pry his hands off him, but to no avail out of fear. Suddenly, Eloise intervened and broke Elliot free of Devin, slapping his hand in response.

"Stop this right now! I won't let you harm him like this! Control yourself this minute Devin!" Eloise shouted. Devin glared towards the princess with a growl.

"So...you are Eloise, huh? The floosy I was supposed to marry but now am marrying this...this crook?!" he retorted, making Elliot gasp "Where's Vlad?! Vlad will vouch that I am the REAL prince! He's been my ONLY friend in this batty castle! Get him out here right now!" Devin yelled. Elliot nervously looked on at Devin, seeing hate bubbling in his eyes. This was not the "jokish" prince he first met, the prince he became "somewhat" friends with, but a lit bomb ready to blow at the slightest flinch. As Eloise's eyes narrowed at Devin, angered by the rude and out of place attitude and "nickname" he gave her, the knight that took Devin's ring then faced Elliot and handed it back to him.

"Devin...what happened to you? What...What have I done?" Elliot thought, looking at the royal ring in his hands. Meanwhile, deep within the lower chambers of the castle, in Vlad's chamber, we find the king's advisor polishing a sword with a dirty and old rag. He glared coldly into the blade's reflection, almost with the intent of kill, as a knock came to his chamber door. As it swiftly open, we see a group of robed figures entering the room. Their clothing made them appear as criminals, each carrying a weapon around their waist. Standing behind Vlad, the three knelt down with one arm slung across their knee.

"Hello there boss. Been a long time since you've called for our services." one of them asked, speaking in a british accent "What can we do for ya?" Just then, Vlad glared angrily towards them and drew his sword, pointing its tip at him. The shock caused the hooded fiend to fumble on his butt.

"You FOOLS! You twits! You nincompoops! You told me every SINGLE member of the royal family died that day! You were SURE that you killed them all when you started that fire!" Vlad shouted. The hooded man nervously grinned as he gently, with one finger, slowly pushed the sword tip away.

"Whoa. Whoa. What's the matter boss? Didn't we do a good job?" he asked nervously. Vlad huffed and brought the sword back towards his face.

"No. In fact, I believe I should've given you a pay cut that day. And why is this? Because...you let that double crosser's son LIVE!" Vlad growled, flinging the sword back towards the painting. The sword's tip punctured the painting, right in-between the eyes on baby Elliot. The other hooded figures gasped and all turned their gaze to Vlad.

"W-What?! No way. We made sure NO ONE of the royal family survived that fire! Wasn't that the point of the job? You had us start that fire because you were mad that the "sucker" king didn't name you his successor...like...like you planned?" another asked. Vlad growled.

"Must I repeat myself? You fools let his son, that goody-goody's little brat, LIVE. I'm so mad that I ought to cut you three down where you kneel!" he shouted. He then started to approach the painting, pulling out the sword with one hand. The three hooded criminals gulped.

"S-So...what's the plan now boss?" one asked. Having retrieved the sword, he turned to the portrait behind him. Glaring angrily at the painting, with a single swipe, he slashed a giant cut across the picture. He then sheathed the weapon again as the painting's paper limped over, covering Elliot's face in the portrait.

"Tonight...I want you to go to the little boy's chamber. Make no mistake this time. Our old plan is now null and void...and there is no chance that I will let our client, the ones that hired us petty thieves to kill the royal family that denied uniting their kingdom under OUR flag...the same that is trying to start this bloody war, know that you lot let one LAMB slip through your claws. No screw-ups this time." he said. The hooded figures glared between one another.

"So...what exactly do you want us to do?" one asked. Vlad smirked with an evil grin as he glared at the torn part of Elliot's portrait against the sheath of his sword.

"Tonight, the next opportunity we are given...KILL the lamb. Kill the prince AND that snooty little princess too. It's the ONLY way to guarantee hostility between these two foolish nations. And if the late king's brother, that nosy Randolph or any OTHER member of the castle staff gets in your way, cut THEM down as well! I won't stop...until I see that boy's corpse at my feet." he sneered. The three minions nodded as they bowed to Vlad.

"Y-You got it boss!" they exclaimed, suddenly disappearing into the shadows of the chamber. The now alone Vlad looked back to the painting, tearing off the sliced off portion and eyed Elliot before looking back at King William's face.

"I am the most brilliant assassin this world has ever given birth to. I will NOT let this little slip-up cost me this title. Mark my words, you traitorous fool of a king, your son will die TONIGHT...before the clock strikes midnight." he said before throwing the torn paper to the ground.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	7. Chapter 7: Vlad's Vile Words

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 07: Vlad's Vile Words**_

At the feast that evening, Elliot and all his friends including King Alexander and Princess Eloise gathered for a wonderful meal. The royal chefs prepared only the finest for the prince's return as they enjoyed sharing stories between each other at the dinner table. The king was happy to meet the kind and caring people that took care of Elliot while he grew up. As he was the rightful prince, Elliot sat close towards the king's end of the table with Eugene next to him and Eloise and Devin right across the table from him.

"I cannot believe it. Our little boy, Elliot, was really a prince in peasant's clothes. Hee hee." Miss Haggison chuckled. Giselle and Eugene both agreed. But, while the merry talk went on, Elliot simply watched Devin as he maintained a slightly irritated look on his face.

"Devin..." Elliot muttered. He watched him stir around the food on his plate. Eloise happened to glance at him too.

"I can only imagine how much pain and confusion Devin must be feeling right now. His real parents are dead, he merely acted the role of a royal...I hope he'll be okay." Eloise thought. Elliot remained silent as Devin just glared quietly at his plate. Just then, with a hefty sigh, he rose from his seat.

"Excuse me. I need some air." Devin muttered. With that, he just left the table and went out into the hallway by himself. Elliot stared quietly, so did a few of the other guests.

"M-Maybe I should..." Elliot muttered, about to rise from his seat. However, he was stopped by Alexander putting his hand on his shoulder and looked to him, shaking his head. He then looked at the other guests.

"Its okay everyone. Devin's a strong boy. He'll be all right." the king said. Without another word, they returned to their meals. But Elliot remained the only one still concerned as he looked on at the doors. Unbeknownst to the guests, Devin was in such a fuss that he did not realize that he walked right by Vlad, who was spying on the feast.

"Well, well, well...I take it our dear "princely pawn" didn't accept the news of his fake life so well." he thought, stroking his chin. Suddenly, a evil grin came on his face.

"In fact...he may be just what I need...to get to the REAL prince." he muttered. Later, after dinner, we find Elliot and Eloise walking side by side with one another down the halls of the castle. The moonlight shined through the windows brightly as Eloise looked to Elliot, still staring at the ground with a gloomy expression.

"You're worried about Devin, right?" she asked. Elliot nodded.

"It must be hard...his whole world flipped upside down...all because of me. Part of me is starting to wonder if coming here was good or not." he said. Eloise patted Elliot's shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll be all right. Like your uncle said, Devin is no doubt a strong person. Maybe...he had a feeling that he wasn't royalty for a while now. I mean...from what you told me, he said he found the royal life rather boring." Eloise said. Elliot soon fell quiet, looking away as the two strolled down the hallway.

"Hey...princess? C-Can I ask you something?" Elliot asked "When we first met, you said...something about a "war" between the two kingdoms. W-What's that about?" Eloise looked on and sighed.

"Its my father, the king of the land where I come from. He and King Alexander haven't quite seen "eye to eye" ever since the fire happened and the royal council was suspecting fowl play from my family. But my father has looked down upon your uncle for some time now. He thinks Alexander is a weak king who couldn't even have done anything to save his brother from dying. Less to say...my father wants our two kingdoms to unite...but with our family having more dominance." Eloise explained "It was my mother's idea that a proposed marriage...between me and King Alexander's nephew...would stop this feud and, hopefully, make a truce between our two kings." Elliot looked on in surprise, amazed to hear the princess had gone through something as hard as this.

"B-But...surely you wouldn't just want to marry off to...to some guy you hardly met before. That doesn't seem right." Elliot asked. Eloise sighed.

"I would've said I wasn't interested. But...I love my kingdom as much as my mother does. My father may be stubborn at times, but I didn't want to see anyone, from any of our two kingdoms, have to suffer because of a petty squabble between kings. And...quite frankly...I'm glad I decided to go through with this." she explained. Elliot slowly came to a stop.

"Why's that?" he asked. Just then, Eloise came to a stop and gently turned towards him, taking hold of his hand.

"Because...I got to meet you...the first prince who's loved me for who I am." she said. Elliot lightly smiled, as did Eloise, before they continued together down the hallway. But as they did, they remained unaware that Vlad was spying on them from the distant corner of the hall, glaring on at Elliot with a cold gaze. Just then, Vlad had heard sounds of footsteps coming from nearby. Looking to the nearby staircase, he sees Devin's backside heading down to the lobby. A sinister smile returned to his face as he followed behind Devin, finding him staring at a portrait of King Alexander. He then looked down at the palm of his hand.

"I can see it in your eyes. You're wishing none of this ever happened, aren't you?" Vlad asked, approaching him. Devin lightly gasped, surprised by him.

"Oh. V-Vlad. It's you. For a second, I didn't recognize your voice." he sighed. Vlad stopped at Devin's side and looked up at the portrait with his arms crossed behind his back.

"You know, King Alexander never trusted me...not even since the day I first came to the castle with his brother, your "friend's" father." Vlad explained "Have I ever told you that?" The young boy glanced towards him.

"Not that I remember. This seems like the first time." he replied. Vlad sighed.

"Well, it is the truth. And...looking at how he sees you now, I believe the king has begun to distrust you too." he said "Did you not see it in his eyes? That cold feeling emitting from them? That's the look of total rejection." he continued "Only the late king, the merciful King William, ever saw prosperity when he saw me. I had so many wonderful ideas for the kingdom, so many that would've helped William be a better ruler. However, when he died...the day he died...all those high hopes I had for the two of us were dashed...as did the only single "light" I had here at the castle." Devin lightly gasped.

"King William and I were such good friends. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be here today. I arrived at the castle gates...cold, hungry and almost at the end of my rope. The moment he saw me, Alexander did not trust me and advised William that I have nothing to do with him. But HE didn't care. No." he said, turning his head away "He gave me sanctuary in these hallowed halls...but after his passing, I felt my time in this castle would be growing thin as Alexander seems poised and ready to throw me back out into the cold world at the slightest instant I become worthless." Then, as he looked around to make sure no one else was around, Vlad turned to Devin.

"I fear that same fate now hangs over your head as well, my boy." he said. Devin looked on in shock as Vlad kneeled down, bowing his head before him.

"Listen to me lad. I didn't wish for this to happen...nor did I have the heart to be the one to tell you this. The king even made me swear to be silent about it all...but after tomorrow's coronation for that "fake" Elliot, he is planning to kick you out of the castle." Vlad lied. Devin gasped.

"W-What?!" he asked.

"Yes. It's all true. Now that the "rightful heir" has returned, Alexander no longer has any use for you. You'll be kicked to the curb, tossed out with the rubbish, banished to the village like the commoner he claims you are. He has truly forgotten all the false love he's given you your whole life." Vlad explained "But, know this...I still believe in you. You'll always be the one and "only" prince...a man who deserves the power of royalty than anyone else...just like your late father, King William." Devin remained speechless, believing everything Vlad spoke.

"W-Wait. I don't get it. The king told me he would talking to me about what would happen after the feast tonight. He...He said..." he stuttered. Vlad shook his head.

"It's but a ruse my prince...and everyone else in the castle is in on it...even young Elliot and Eloise. Nothing you say will convince him to keep you...No. Not so long as your "friend" is here." Vlad continued. Devin's eyes widened, fearing Vlad's words.

"B-But Vlad, I...I don't want to be chucked out like yesterday's leftovers. Wh-What can I do to talk some sense into him?" he asked. With head still bowed, the devilish smile returned to Vlad's face.

"Let me speak to the boy, Elliot, on your behalf. The next chance you can, get him alone and away from everyone. If I can get through to him, he may be just what you need to win favor with the king. Just do me a favor...and wait for me in my chamber. If things get out of hand between us, I just want to make sure you are somewhere safe from it all. Also, do not speak word of this to the king, the boy or the princess." he said. Devin nodded.

"O-Okay Vlad. I trust you." he said "But...will you let me talk with Elliot first? I feel...like I have to get a few things off my chest with him." Vlad nodded.

"As you wish, your grace." he said. As Devin then walked off, going to find Elliot, Vlad watched him with the same crooked grin on his face. Just then, one of his hooded assassins appeared behind him.

"Remain in the shadows. When I give the signal, capture the boy...take him FAR, FAR from this place. And DON'T flub this up a second time." he muttered.

"Yes sir." the hooded said before disappearing into the shadows. A while after, worried about his well being, Elliot soon went after Devin to talk with him. He went to the prince's chambers, seeing Devin looking around.

"H-Hey...Devin. How you doing?" Elliot asked, catching the boy's attention.

"O-Oh...Elliot. There you are. I was looking for you." Devin said.

"Y-You were?" Elliot replied, to which Devin nodded. The two boys approached each other, seating next to each other on the bed sheets.

"You know? I never thought...that my life could change so drastically in just ONE day...as it has today." he muttered. Elliot lightly sighed.

"Devin? I'm...I'm sorry. If you're mad at me for taking your life from you, t-then...I deserve it. But...to be fair here, I didn't know that I even WAS royalty. Its...only thanks to you and me switching lives that...that I realized who I really am." he said. Devin glanced to him as Elliot sighed heavily, recalling his life with Miss Haggison.

"Ever since I was young, I constantly kept having...these weird dreams. They'd always start the same...with me in my mom's arms being cradled and sung to. I can hear the voices of many others around me, all speaking so highly about me." he explained. Devin nodded.

"They'd always end the exact same way too. Before I can see her face...I'd wake up. But now...I understand what those dreams were about. Miss Haggison told me that...my dreams were a way to try and remind me of the life I lost when my parents passed away. She told me to use it to forge my path in life...so that maybe, someday, I'll find out their true identities." he finished. A moment of silence fell over the two as Devin crossed his arms.

"Hmph. So I guess that's why you always are so cheerful and soft spoken. Heh. The king always told me the same thing...to put my own selfish wants aside and to focus on how to make myself a better man and how I can help change this land." Devin said. Elliot lightly smiled as Devin looked to him.

"And, you know something? I think he might've been right. Seeing how you live everyday among the commoners, the people you've interacted so much more than I rarely got to do...I can see a lot can be done to make our home...this kingdom...even better." Devin chuckled. Elliot glanced to him and gently smiled.

"I suppose...I should thank you for filling in my role as prince during my absence. Not only did you give me a chance to see the world from another person's eyes...but I think...you did pretty well." Devin said.

"Really? T-Thank you." Elliot replied "O-Oh! That's not to say you didn't do the same." Devin chuckled.

"You kidding? All I did was mostly flirt with girls. I never really cared much about the politics around us. I just...wanted to free myself from all of this. I mean...I knew about what happened to the town after the fire. But...I hardly raised a finger to help. I did nothing but cause problems for everyone. If anything, I played the role of "Worst Prince Ever"." he said. His eyes then looked back to Elliot.

"But...I'm sure you can play the princely role better. "Your" uncle sure thinks so...as does the princess." he said. Elliot lightly gasped, turning away blushing.

"Y-Yeah. W-Well, I'll do my best...as long as...the king, Eloise, Eugene, Miss Haggison, everyone else in the kingdom...and YOU stay by my side, cheering me on." Elliot replied. Devin seemed a bit surprised.

"Y-You mean...?" he asked. Elliot nodded.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want anyone to have to live the cold, lonesome life I almost fell victim to. After my coronation tomorrow, I'll do anything in my power to make sure we're never apart. Okay?" he replied. Devin nodded.

"Sounds good to me." he said. He then got up to leave, patting Elliot's shoulder as he rose from his seat. As he arrived at the door, he paused for a moment and looked back to Elliot.

"Hey...Elliot?" Devin asked, catching the other's attention "Sorry...for how I acted earlier today." With that, he then closed the door, leaving Elliot alone. As he entered the hallway and walked off, Vlad watched from the far end of the hall, his figure covered by the shadows. Looking towards the windows, gazing out at the night sky, he gave a light nod as the three robed assassins were seen darting along the window's edge. Back in his room, Elliot walked towards the window and sighed, leaning up against the railing of his window sill.

"You know, with everything's that happened to me today...I've got a lot on my plate to think about now." he muttered to himself.

"Like what?" a voice asked. Without question, Elliot continued.

"Like...how I'm going to adjust to my life as prince, how I'll better the kingdom along with my friends and family...heh heh...and how I'll work out this "arranged marriage" between me and the princess." he chuckled, scratching his nose with an embarrassed smile. But just then, reality seemed to sink in as Elliot grew a puzzled look.

"W-Wait. W-Who...?" he asked, suddenly jumping back as he saw the hooded rogues at the window edge, jumping into the room afterwards. Stumbling to the ground, Elliot looked on in fear at the hooded men standing before him. One had a bundle of rope and another carried a large empty sack over his shoulder.

"Evening love." one spoke. With that, Elliot was about to scream but was muffled by one of the rogues drawing their dagger to his throat.

"Utter so much as a word...whelp...and we'll cut yer vocal cords CLEAN in half!" he growled. Suddenly dead silent, Elliot watched as the empty bag was thrown over him, engulfing his complete line of sight. Outside the door, Vlad listened closely to everything that happened in the room before grinning slightly. Feeling Vlad's presence, one of the rogues approached the door as his two partners tied the bag tightly with rope.

"We've got the brat. Where to next?" he whispered. Vlad pressed his back against the door.

"Take him to the graveyard by the cliffs. The little brat's father is buried there. It'll be a perfect spot...for him to meet his end. And be quick about it. The guards will make their rounds soon." he whispered. The rogue nodded before hinting to his partners, leaping out through the window with Elliot in their bag.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	8. Chapter 8: Redemption

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 08: Redemption**_

With Elliot having been abducted from the castle, we turn our attention to Eloise, seen walking by herself in the castle lobby. She was seen observing the various suits of armor again, the same place she had been previously with Elliot. Turning her attention to her palm, she lightly smiled as Henrietta soon arrived.

"And what has you smiling princess?" she asked. Eloise chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure you already know Henrietta. Elliot is going to receive his coronation as prince tomorrow. And, once that happens, I can share the news with my father about how wonderful a suitor he'll be." she replied "With this, we can put the war behind us and Elliot and I will be free to visit each other whenever we wish. I'll be getting to know him more and more each time." Henrietta smiled.

"I see. I thought you were imagining your future together, you know? Once the actual marriage is set in motion..." she teased. Eloise gasped, turning beet red.

"H-H-Henrietta! K-Know your place handmaid!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. Henrietta giggled.

"Sorry...sorry m'lady. I was only joking." she replied. Just then, the two noticed someone approaching from nearby. It was Devin, making his way from a nearby corridor.

"Oh...Devin." Eloise muttered. Devin stopped when he heard his name, looking towards her.

"Oh...Princess Eloise, right? S-Sorry. I didn't think you'd want to see a worthless peasant like me...especially after I tried to "assault" your boyfriend." he said. Eloise's gaze remained firm on him as she stood in front of him.

"While I am somewhat upset with you for how you acted to Elliot, I can somewhat understand your frustration...what with everything that's happened to you today." she said. Devin scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah. Wonder what today would've been like if I had actually stayed in the castle like I was supposed to." he said. Eloise and Henrietta looked at each other.

"If you had, neither of us would have met Elliot and such a great truth hidden from your very kingdom would have remained un-earthed. In some way, you trying to sneak out benefited everyone in the end." Eloise said. Devin huffed.

"Yeah. All but me. Now I'm downgraded to a measly peasant with no place to go." Devin said "I'm pretty sure King Alexander is planning my "princely resignation" as we speak." he said. Eloise looked on in confusion.

"Wait...what? Why would you be leaving the castle?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He has his "real" son back. I'm just in the way here. My visit to the castle is over. Time to adjust back to the life I experienced out in the village." he said. Eloise slowly approached Devin, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Nonsense. King Alexander has treated you, a mere street boy, as his son for as long as he can remember. No doubt he would have you and Elliot living together, here, with him." she said. Devin looked away.

"I doubt it. I mean, Vlad and I spoke a while back. He was pretty convinced my time was up." he said, stopping when he realized his words "D-Duh! I mean...f-forget I said that! Heh heh." Eloise looked on in puzzlement.

"Vlad? Oh, you mean that stern eyed man that I met when you had Elliot posing as you?" she asked. Devin looked to her.

"Wait. You guys met Vlad too? I hardly saw him all day today until just a little while ago." he asked. Henrietta nodded.

"Why, yes. He was one of the staff Randolph introduced us too upon Eloise's arrival to the castle. He seemed...rather distant from everyone else I've met in the castle." Henrietta explained. Devin shrugged.

"Well, since I already blabbed it, he already told me about what the king plans to do. Tonight will be my last stay in the castle." Devin said. Finding this confusing, Eloise shook her head.

"What? No. Don't say that. Why would the king say that?" she asked. Devin looked back to her, puzzled himself, as he begun sharing everything Vlad told him. Eloise couldn't believe her ears as she looked back to Henrietta.

"Henrietta? Do you know where King Alexander is right now?" she asked.

"Last I heard, he adjourned to his quarters with Randolph to plan Elliot's coronation." she explained. Eloise suddenly took hold of Devin's hand.

"C'mon. Let's talk to your father. Surely he can shed some light on this." she said. With that, the trio made haste towards Alexander's room, stopping at the door and giving a knock. When the door opened, there stood Randolph.

"I beg your pardon m'lady...but the king is quite busy tonight. May I pass along a message for you?" he asked.

"Sorry Randolph, but we REALLY need to speak with him. It's...about Devin. He says that he plans to eject him from the castle following Elliot's coronation." she replied. Randolph now appeared puzzled.

"What? No! Good heavens no! The king would NEVER say that. I spoke with him not too long ago! He told me he plans to have the two boys share quarters here in the castle. Who in the world told you such a lie?" he asked. Devin gasped.

"Then...Vlad...?" he muttered. Suddenly, the king approached Randolph's side, leaning one hand against the door.

"Randolph? What is going on out here?" he asked. The butler turned towards the king and told everything he had heard from Eloise. This had him completely baffled.

"W-What? No! Absolutely not!" he shouted. Alexander turned back to Devin, crouching down to his eye level.

"I'm sorry my boy. I actually meant to tell you sooner, but I had so much preparation to do that I didn't have time to explain myself to you." he continued. Devin still looked on, trying to comprehend everything.

"Tell me, Devin. Where did you hear such words?" he asked "It weren't those loud mouth cooks in the kitchen again, was it?" Devin shook his head.

"N-No. Vlad told me." he said. Suddenly, as Vlad's name sunk into Alexander's mind, his eyes began to widen. Randolph himself appeared as if he saw a ghost.

"W-What did you just say?" he asked, sounding horrified in tone. Eloise and Henrietta glanced to each other.

"Y-Your highness?" Eloise asked. But suddenly, without another word, Alexander released Devin and made a bee line straight towards the prince's chamber. Henrietta and the princess gasped as he rushed past.

"W-Where is he going?!" she shouted. And, to make things more confused, Randolph took off himself.

"W-Wait!" the girls called. It then became a group charge as they followed Alexander towards the prince's room.

"H-Hold on! D-Dad...I mean, your highness! What's going on?!" Devin exclaimed. Arriving at the room, with no sign of Vlad anywhere, the king bust open the door to find the chamber completely empty. He feverishly looked around the room, attempting to find a sign of Elliot. Randolph seemed just as shocked.

"W-Wait. Where's Elliot?!" Eloise stuttered "He should be here...right?" Devin looked around the room.

"Hold up. Vlad said he was going to talk to him when he was alone last..." he muttered, trying to comprehend it all. Alexander heard this and ordered Randolph to send the castle guards to Vlad's quarters at once. The butler bowed before making off on his own. Eloise began to grow fearful as she took hold of the king's clothes.

"K-King Alexander. W-What is the meaning of this? Where is Elliot?" she asked, beginning to shed tears. Henrietta watched as the king groaned, asking them to follow him to the lower lobby. Upon arrival, the king gathered everyone on the staircase and faced them.

"Everyone...I was so focused on what would happen tomorrow that...I failed in keeping my brother's child safe." he groaned, wiping his hand across his face. Eloise gasped, as did Devin.

"Why? Just who is this Vlad fellow?" Henrietta asked. Just then, Randolph returned with a pair of knights.

"Sorry m'lord. We just checked that scoundrel's chamber and found ZERO trace of Vlad. He's most likely fled the castle with the boy." one explained. Randolph growled, making a fist as Alexander faced the group.

"Listen to me VERY CAREFULLY. For as far back as I can remember, I had my most trusted knights keep a CLOSE EYE on this Vlad since the day he came to the castle. I felt something was wrong when I met that man alongside my brother. Vlad was taken into the castle by my brother, King William, when he had nowhere else to go...claiming to have come from the ruined remains of his ransacked village. But, according to the reports I received from my knights, he is known as "Vlad the Crafter" in the lands he hailed from. And by "crafter", I mean he single handily planned some of the most unspeakable murders to royal family members all over the lands." Alexander explained. Eloise and the others gasped.

"V-Vlad? A...A murderer?!" Devin asked.

"He thought he had us all fooled with his innocence act...and it worked...on my brother. I feared that Vlad was here for only one reason: to assassinate my brother. I still have a strong hunch that HE was the instigator behind that wildfire that killed so many of our people. And why? All because his plans to usurp the throne from under my brother's nose backfired when the scriptures clearly named me successor. He now probably fell into another of his "back-up plans" when he realized Elliot survived and returned to the castle, fearing his plan to worm his way into Devin's heart the same way he did my brother." he continued. Devin's eyes widened, picturing Vlad with a villainous look on his face as he stood over Elliot's corpse, laughing maniacally.

"W-Wait! What would Vlad want with Elliot?!" Eloise asked. Alexander groaned.

"Just as how Rasputin attempted to seek revenge against the Romanov family of Russia, he would most likely have seen Elliot as a sign that his plans to completely assassinate my brother's family failed. Right now, he's probably abducted him while we were so busy and is bringing him somewhere secret to have him executed." he said. Eloise gasped.

"No...No! No! No! No! NO! T-This can't be happening! Elliot...Elliot's going to die?!" she exclaimed, clutching her head out of fear. Henrietta quickly noticed this and hugged the princess tightly.

"No. Elliot's going to die...because I believed Vlad's lie." Devin said. Alexander looked to Devin, approaching him before firmly placing his hand on his shoulder.

"No. Elliot will NOT die. I can only assume he fed you those lies about me removing you from the castle so you wouldn't interfere with his plans to kill Elliot. But...crafty as he is, he's made one big miscalculation. He miscalculated on how much this royal family would bring down upon his heinous head if he DARED lay a hand on ANY of my family!" Alexander said. Devin gasped.

"He...He DOES care..." Devin thought. The king then approached Randolph and his two guards.

"Tonight, Vlad's just commited his final move against my family...and for that, he will PAY." Alexander sneered "Randolph! Summon ALL available guards! Spread out throughout the village and all nearby lands! I want Vlad's scrawny HEAD for this! And prepare my royal carriage for travel while you're at it!" Randolph nodded.

"Yes sir! I shall personally lead the knights' search party with my own two hands, your majesty!" he shouted. He then hurried off with the knights following close behind. Behind him, Alexander could hear Eloise still crying and slowly approached her, gently wiping the princess' tears off her face as they gazed at one another.

"It'll be okay Eloise. Don't cry. My nephew, the rightful heir to this kingdom, WILL come back. Count on it." he muttered. Eloise sniffled as she glared into the king's eyes.

"O-Okay..." she sniffled "But please...let me help you in the search. Elliot is the first man I've ever loved. I don't...I WON'T accept ANYONE other else than him! If...If anything happened to him...I..." She sniffled more before starting to cry again. Devin gently approached the princess from behind, but stopped when he was a few inches from her shoulders. His hand then receded backwards before he looked down in disgust.

"D-Devin...you IDIOT! L-Look at what you did! Because of you believing Vlad, Elliot's going to get himself killed!" he thought, balling his hand into a fist. Alexander quickly looked at Devin's face before he passed the princess and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Do not blame yourself Devin. It's my fault for not warning you about..." he said. But before he could finish, Devin slapped away the king's hold and turned to him with anger in his eyes.

"Don't blame myself?! I OUGHT to! I was the one who had Elliot switch places with me in the first place! I'M the one that got him into this! Vlad wouldn't know he was alive if not for me!" Devin shouted, shedding tears in his eyes "I was so angry when you suddenly treated me like I didn't matter anymore earlier today that I became susceptible to that...that RAT'S lies!" Suddenly, Alexander turned Devin's gaze back to him, grabbing ahold once again.

"No. That was my fault to bear! I wasn't sure what to say to you when you were so riled with anger. I should've realized Vlad would've used this to take advantage of you. If you TRULY feel at fault for this, then by all means, help us find Elliot!" Alexander exclaimed. Devin nodded.

"You better believe I'm coming with you!" Devin shouted. Alexander grew a firm smile, patting Devin heavily on the shoulder. He then looked to the princess and Henrietta.

"Come! We must hurry! No doubt Vlad's already gotten a head start on us!" he shouted.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	9. Chapter 9: Elliot's Courage - Part 1

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 09: Elliot's Courage - Part 1**_

As the moon shined high over the skies, we leave the comfort of the village and head out towards the woods nearest the village gates, finding the three hooded men of Vlad's heading out through the thick. The one in the back held tightly to the burlap sack which was carrying their prisoner Elliot. As they marched, one of the robed figures glanced towards the bag hauler.

"So, tell me again what the boss wants us to take the little brat all the way out here when it'd be so much easier to slit the brat's throat back at the castle?" he asked.

"What are you? A fool? The royal guards would've been on us in god's speed time. Besides, you know how the boss likes to "make the most" out of his killings. Word around the grape vine was the brat's parents are buried out there. Heh. Guess the boss has a sense of "aesthetics" after all." the other replied. Inside the bag, Elliot remained tied up with a bandana wrapped around his mouth to keep him silent, looking worriedly through the small holes through the seams of the bag.

"T-They're planning to KILL me?! W-Why?! What did I ever done to them?!" Elliot thought. As they marched on, we glimpse back at the village as the guards from the castle storm the streets, stopping and approaching every citizen they came across and asked about Elliot. Eloise and Devin arrived at the inn and sought out Giselle, Eugene and Miss Haggison.

"Hey kid! You've got to help us! Have any weird guys come by here?" Devin asked, facing Eugene.

"Elliot's been kidnapped! And we're afraid his kidnappers are planning to kill him!" Eloise added. The trio gasped.

"Oh my word! Not while this old hag breaths! Count us in the hunt children!" Miss Haggison shouted, rolling back her sleeves and plucking a frying pan off from the rack. Giselle and Eugene nodded.

"Elliot's one of us, royalty or not! We're all coming!" Giselle added.

"Me too!" Eugene called. Meanwhile, returning to the village streets, we find Randolph riding on horseback whilst leading a group of the royal knights together.

"Fan out men! Prince Elliot MUST be found before its too late! Tonight, we avenge King William and Queen Elizabeth!" he shouted, raising a sword in the air.

"Yes sir!" the knights yelled. As the hunt continued, we return to Elliot and the three rogue men in the forest. As they exited from a pathway, the three rogues came upon the graveyard built to honor the victims of the wildfire. The graves were covered by a thick layer of fog blanketing the grounds. The graveyard was built near the edge of a cliffside, overlooking the rolling waves of the ocean.

"Finally. We made it." one said. The rogue carrying Elliot glanced over his shoulder.

"And it looks like we gave those knights the slip. No one's gonna find us now." he snickered. The trio then entered the yard and made their way towards a large, sword-like shaped gravestone. Carved in the base was the name of King William.

"Here we go. Okay chaps. Tonight...we remove the tarnish on our names as killers...and FINISH the job from twelve years ago." their leader said. With that, the bag was opened and Elliot found himself dumped out like rubbish. He rolled on the ground before his backside hit against the grave. The rogue then tore the bandana off his mouth.

"W-W-Wait! Wh-What's going on here?! Why are you doing this?!" Elliot exclaimed, his fear bubbling over. The rogues snickered.

"Wouldn't YOU like to know kiddy? Too bad we ain't going to tell ya that. But...as parting words, let's just say...someone out there doesn't wish for your life to continue." he snickered, drawing his dagger. Elliot gasped, having spotted his weapon.

"W-Who? Who wants me dead?! I didn't do anything!" he shouted. The rogue smirked.

"Nuh uh. Our lips are zipped on that." the fiend replied.

"Just know that your death will be quite "memorial". See the gravestone you're sitting aside? This happens to be the same place where your father, that foolish king, is buried. How beautiful it is that you'll die next to the grave of your dear sweet papa." another explained. Elliot gulped, looking on in fear as the rogues all drew their weapons.

"N-No...please. I-I'll do anything you say! But p-p-please! Don't kill me! I-I just finally found my home and my real family! You can't take that away from me!" he exclaimed. However, the rogues fell silent as they drew back their daggers.

"Sorry kiddy. We're done here. All we want to hear now...is your screams." the leader said. However, what the fiends did not realize was while they were talking to him, Elliot was secretly grinding the rope on his wrists against the gravestone as hard as he could. He was just about through as their daggers were raised.

"C'mon! H-Hurry up rope!" Elliot thought. Just then, he could feel stone against his wrists as his ropes were finally weak enough to be broken. Suddenly, the three rogues all lunged forward with their daggers aimed right at Elliot's chest.

"Now DIE!" they yelled. Their attack deafly missed their mark as Elliot leaned to the side at the last instant, drawing his hands out from behind and threw a large cloud of dirt and dust with his hands in their faces. The blinding dust jabbed at their eyes as the rogues coughed and swatted away the smoke.

"R-Ragh! Rotten brat! He must've been cutting his ropes!" one shouted. With the fiends blinded, Elliot quickly unknotted the rope on his legs and made a break back towards the woods. By the time they could see, Elliot was gone.

"W-What?! No! The kid got away! Hurry up you imbeciles! If Vlad finds out, he'll have OUR heads!" one exclaimed. The three then hurried back towards the woods, running as fast as their feet could take them. But what they did not realize is, as they ran past the trees, they had unexpectedly ran past a tree where Elliot was hiding behind. He panted heavily, feeling his heart beating rapidly.

"T-That was too close..." he panted. Now alone, Elliot slowly walked back towards the gravestone. He knelt down to the ground, rubbing his hand across the carved name. A small tear came to his eye.

"Hi...father." he muttered. He continued looking on at the grave before breathing a heavy sigh.

"I'm...really sorry father. We rarely got the chance to be together...like a proper father and son should. I wish...I could remember you. But, I hardly know anything about you or mom...except for what I remember of you from infancy." he said. Just then, he felt a gentle gust of wind coming from behind. It began to grow, eventually catching his attention. Turning back towards the wind, Elliot saw what appeared to be a faint figure. It slowly approached him, bearing no ill temperament. Though the face was somewhat shaded, Elliot could feel a strange familiar warmth about it.

"Hello Elliot...my son." the figure muttered. Elliot gasped.

"F-Father?" he asked, slowly rising to his feet. Tears slowly came to Elliot's eyes as his father's figure drew closer.

"So...you finally remember me, eh? Heh heh. I don't blame you though. Because of how young you were, I doubt you'd remember your old man's face. But...I'm happy to see you again." William said. He glanced down towards Elliot's shoes and then slowly glanced up towards his face.

"Yes...I see. You've become quite the handsome young man...just as I knew you would." he said. Elliot sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"B-But how can this be? You should be dead." he asked. William chuckled.

"It was your heart Elliot. It called out to me from beyond the afterlife." he explained "Since you and I share blood, I was able to muster up the strength...to speak to you one more time." Glancing down to his chest, Elliot smiled and placed his hand against his chest. But soon afterwards, his attention turned back to his father with a somewhat surprised face.

"Father...there's so much I want to ask. But...tell me. What happened to you? Who killed you and mother? Surely the wildfire that happened in the village was no mere coincidence." Elliot asked. William sighed.

"It was no accident son. It was started by those devilish rogues you met earlier...led by the man I THOUGHT I could trust as my attendant...Vlad." he explained. Elliot gasped, recalling Vlad's face from earlier.

"H-Hold on. I...I met Vlad. He seemed...surprised to see me, almost like he saw a ghost." he muttered, rubbing his chin.

"Most likely because you shared so much of my face. I'm sure your uncle has yet to tell you, but Vlad was a mercenary from a distant land...a land that has long since met its end. He came to me in a weakened state, begging me for shelter. Your uncle did not trust him...but I did. I never would turn away anyone that needed my help. Over time, Vlad and I started to bond. He would repay the kindness I gave him by helping me with my daily duties as king of this country. Over time, it almost felt as if I found someone who shared the same goal of strengthening this kingdom...and I named Vlad my royal vizier shortly after I was married." William explained. Elliot looked on at his father's ghost.

"However...when he and I spoke about him being someday worthy to take my place as a kind and just ruler, and my brother Alexander intervened by reminding me that only the blood of a born royal could take the throne, I begun seeing a darkness emitting from Vlad...almost as if I had taken all the hope he had for seizing the throne and crushed it. It was then, around the time you were born, that Vlad and his secret band of assassins started the fire that took my life and separated your mother and I from you..." he continued. Elliot gasped, envisioning a massive wildfire and the face of Vlad behind the flames.

"Amidst the flames of the fire, it was then that I saw Vlad's TRUE face...the face of a demon. He never wanted to be my friend or help strengthen this country. He was merely hired by a now broken royal family from another land...to usurp the throne from under my nose and hand control of the country to those from the savage land. He used my kindness and trust in others against me...taking my life while he was at it...simply because I no longer was needed for his ambitions." William continued "Now that he knows you, my only child, survived the fire...he'll surely do anything to snuff you out as to wipe all traces of me from existence." Elliot gasped, fearing that was the reason for the assassins. Just then, they both could hear the nearby bushes beginning to rustle, with Elliot fearing it was them again.

"Elliot...listen to me son. I must go soon. But...before I do, dig up the ground behind my grave. Should you ever have survived the fire, I had my brother, Alexander, bury something...I wanted you to have. Use it...to protect yourself...and the bonds you made with those you love." he said. Suddenly, with another gust of wind, the ghost of William vanished. Elliot reached out, attempting to touch his father's hand, but to no avail. He was now all alone again as he looked back to the gravestone.

"Father...left something for me?" he thought. Hearing the bushes rustling again, Elliot gasped and quickly rushed back to the backside of the grave. With his bare hands, he begun to dig as fast as he could, tossing up dirt and rubble in his wake when he suddenly struck something hard beneath the inches of dirt. Shuffling aside what remained, Elliot found a long thin box. Digging it out of the ground, he opened the rusted lid and found a small sword, slightly rusted itself from the years it spent underground.

"A...A sword? Dad left me...a sword?" he thought. Just then, the bushes begun to shake wildly as Elliot quickly hid the sword by wedging it by his belt. He then turned towards the rustling bushes, ready for what was coming. And from out of the bushes came the three assassins from before. Elliot gasped, readying his hand.

"Oi! There's the little runt! He must've double backed!" one shouted. The three drew their daggers and came charging towards Elliot at full speed.

"Heh heh! Grave mistake your highness! You won't escape us now! It'll be here that you DIE!" another yelled. As the three drew close and Elliot readied to draw his sword, the sound of a horse neigh broke the air. The path of the charging rogues was soon cut off by a horse charging into the scene, forcing them to screech to a halt. The bucking horse's rider was Randolph, startling them.

"W-What the...?! You're...Randolph, captain of the Royal Knights!" one of the rogues exclaimed. Elliot gasped.

"W-Wait. He's WHAT?!" Elliot yelled. Randolph laughed as he looked back to Elliot.

"So this is where you were taken to, your grace! Don't worry! We're here to save you!" Randolph called. Just then, another sound broke out from across the field.

"Elliot!" a girl's voice exclaimed. Elliot gasped and turned towards the sound, seeing the likes of Devin, Henrietta, Eugene, Giselle and Miss Haggison charging their way. And in the front of this group was Eloise.

"E-Eloise!" Elliot cried. But suddenly, one of the rogues saw Eloise coming and grew a sly grin, grabbing hold of his dagger, and alerting his partners. They took one look at the princess and grinned as well, all charging together. Randolph saw this and gasped.

"P-Princess Eloise! Look out!" he yelled. The rogues laughed as Eloise saw them, gasping while slowing to a screeching halt.

"C'mon boys! Hurry and grab the girl! That's the little princess boss wanted us to kill after we axed the prince! If we kill her here, boss' plan will still fall through!" one of them shouted. As the three rogues leapt into the air, daggers drawn and ready to strike, Eloise remained petrified as Henrietta hurried to shield her.

"If you want the princess, you'll have to go through me first!" Henrietta yelled. But, almost without anyone realizing it, Elliot had suddenly appeared in front of Henrietta with his hand on the sword handle. Everyone watched in shock as, with one swing, Elliot ricocheted the weapons out of the hands of the rogues. They landed just inches from the group and watched as their weapons flew through the air and landed in the dirt.

"H-How did you...?!" one rogue yelled. Eloise looked from behind Henrietta and gasped.

"E-Elliot...?" she muttered. Elliot looked up at the three rogues, his fears suddenly washed away as a fire now burned in his eyes.

"No one...and I mean NO ONE...raises a sword against the woman I love! You hear me?!" Elliot yelled. The rogues gasped as Elliot swung again, this time cutting through the robe of the center rogue and causing blood to fly from the cut.

"D-DAGH!" he yelped, lunging back with his partners. Still poised to strike, Elliot pointed the sword towards them.

"W-Whoa! Elliot! H-How did you DO that?!" Devin yelled. Elliot gasped and looked back to the others before glancing at the sword.

"I...I don't know what happened! I...I just saw them coming at Eloise and...and then...everything else became blurry and my feet just moved on their own. It was like...something took me over." Elliot explained. Randolph looked on at Elliot, recognizing the sword upon sight.

"What took you over, my boy, was your father's will guiding you. That along with your desire to protect your loved ones...is what gave you that strength." he thought. The rogues groaned and quickly scooped up their weapons.

"So, the little brat actually has some bite to his bark. This is just getting interesting..." their leader muttered. Elliot stood poised for another attack as Henrietta took a firm fighting stance while Miss Haggison took out a frying pan and Eugene and Giselle each wielded a steel ladle. Eloise looked on at Elliot in sheer amazement.

"Elliot..." she muttered. Elliot looked back to her, causing her to lightly gasp.

"Don't worry Eloise. I'll protect you." he said before turning back to the rogues. However, as all of this was going on, another figure is seen entering from the nearby woods, draped by the shadows of the fauna. It was Vlad, watching the approaching battle with his devilish sword drawn.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	10. Chapter 10: Elliot's Courage - Part 2

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **Chapter 10: Elliot's Courage - Part 2**_

The three rogues came charging with their daggers poised as Elliot's group stood ready to fight, each armed with a weapon of their own. One rogue leapt for Elliot but was greeted by him shielding himself with his father's gifted blade as a fight ensued.

"You WON'T get away with killing my parents! I will avenge them!" Elliot shouted. The rogue grinned, pressuring down on Elliot with his weapon. It became a power struggle as the two pushed against the other.

"The only thing happening tonight...is your DEATH prince! You don't have the strength to beat us!" he shouted. Nearby, one of the rogues was seen dashing around Eugene and Giselle, standing back to back with each other and clutching their weapon ladles tightly.

"A-Any ideas sis?" Eugene asked. Giselle shook her head.

"N-Not really." she replied. The rogue sneered and then lunged towards them, ready to strike. But as he drew close, he was greeted with a vicious frying pan blow to his face. The impact sent him flying back across the ground as Miss Haggison stood proudly.

"If you harm ANY of my children, you'll feel the sting of me frying pan! You hear me?!" she exclaimed. Meanwhile, the last rogue had lunged into the bushes nearby and drew forth a group of small throwing knives, tossing them rapidly towards Randolph atop his horse. He was able to deflect most of them, but with one more soaring straight towards his face, he was forced to leap off his horse who bucked from fright. Randolph groaned, facing the camouflaged rogue.

"Show yourself COWARD!" he shouted. Suddenly, the bushes behind started to shuffle as Randolph quickly spun around, seeing the rogue armed with two crossbows in his hands.

"Take this!" he yelled. The arrows rocketed towards Randolph but were cut off when Henrietta had suddenly appeared, drawing a large shield from behind her. The moment they hit the shield, the wooden arrows broke on contact. Randolph glared up at the maid.

"Thank you my lady. Tell me something. What is a simple maid like you doing with a shield?" he asked coyly. Henrietta chuckled.

"Was a gift from my father. He too was a knight for our royal family. I'll gladly use it to protect anyone who threatens my friends!" she said. The rogue growled and ducked back into the bushes. Returning to Elliot, the duo's power struggle continued as the rogue gained an edge. Elliot quickly attempted to shift to the side as the rogue's dagger cut his sleeve. He then stumbled and fell to the ground as the rogue raised his dagger.

"Now DIE you little brat!" he shouted. But suddenly, before he could stab the boy, his arm was grabbed by Eloise who was clutching tightly to his wrist.

"W-What the...?!" he asked. She then swiftly kicked him across the face, sending him sliding through the dirt. Elliot and Devin both watched in utter shock while Eloise dusted her hands off.

"WHOA! Remind me not to make YOU angry!" Devin thought. The rogue growled and rubbed the dirt from his cheek, standing back up with dagger pointed at the two royal children. He growled and lunged for them, ready to slice their heads off. But this time, the rogue was tackled by Devin, throwing him across the ground. He then was greeted to a ferocious series of punches across his face by the boy.

"Rrrgh! Get OFF me!" he yelled, throwing Devin off him. But soon as he got back up and leapt forward, Devin tripped him up by grabbing onto his ankle. His dagger slipped from his grip and slid across the ground while he remained face planted in the dirt. At the same time, the rogue battling Henrietta and Randolph came charging from behind them with a pair of twin daggers. However, Randolph noticed him coming and quickly repelled the attack with a timed swing of his sword. Henrietta was next to spot him and swung her shield towards him. He gasped before being thrown a great distance from being struck by the iron shield.

"Ha! Got you!" she yelled. As the battle continued on, from the shadows, Vlad was quietly approaching the battlefield with his vile sword drawn. In no time, all three of the hooded rogues were either unconscious or face flat on the ground before they were quickly tied up by Randolph and Henrietta.

"Ha ha! Take that you ruffians! No one threatens a member of the royal family on OUR watch!" he declared. The rogues groaned, seeing their weapons laid scattered on the ground. Everyone then began to cheer as Eloise hugged Elliot tightly.

"Elliot! That was awesome! I didn't know you were so skilled with a sword!" she shouted. Elliot lightly chuckled.

"W-Well...I'm not gonna admit I knew HOW to fight all this time. It just...came to me. I think...my dad was helping me." he explained. Randolph heard this and smiled. All eyes were soon on the three criminals.

"Now then...once we find your leader, the three of you will face trial before the court and sentenced accordingly." Randolph explained. The lead rogue huffed.

"Yeah right. Nothing you royals can do to us will be as bad...compared to what VLAD will do to us when he finds out." he said. Just then, the sound of Eloise's scream filled the air, causing Elliot to gasp.

"E-Eloise!" he yelled. The group quickly spun around and gasped, seeing Vlad standing with one hand firmly clutching the princess' hands behind her back. And in his other hand, his sword was pointed straight at her. The sight of Vlad had Elliot and Devin in shock.

"V-Vlad..." they muttered. Eugene and Giselle looked on worried as Vlad brought the sword closer to the princess' throat. Randolph readied his sword but Vlad's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"All of you! Stay back! Should any of you take a step closer, I'll slay this wretched girl where she stands!" he ordered. The rogues gasped as his eyes shifted to them.

"B-B-Boss!" they shouted. Vlad's cold eyes remained on them and sighed heavily.

"So, you lot failed me not once, but TWICE now. I knew I should've handled this myself than to rely on you three." he said. His eyes then looked back to the others, frozen in place while Randolph and Elliot seemed raring to go.

"Vlad! Lower your weapon and come quietly! You are hereby placed under arrest!" Randolph shouted. Vlad chuckled slightly.

"Oh? And for what charges, you old fool?" he asked menacingly. Elliot's eyes then narrowed.

"You know for what! For kidnapping AND trying to kill me and Eloise!" he shouted. Just then, as Vlad gave an evil grin, he felt someone's presence. Merely glancing back, he saw Alexander firmly standing with his blade grazing the side of his neck.

"Not to mention for the years you spent deceiving royalty AND the bloodshed you caused when you invoked that wildfire!" he shouted. Elliot and the others gasped.

"I-It's King Alexander!" Henrietta shouted. Vlad silently looked back at Alexander, their eyes firmly gazing at each other.

"So...you finally found me out, did you Alexander?" Vlad asked.

"Hmph. You KNEW I always knew, you heartless rat. Filth like you never escape justice." Alexander replied. Vlad grinned as he gently released Eloise, letting her rush back to Elliot's side. He lightly chuckled as he dropped his sword, raising his hands up.

"And yet it's taken you THIS LONG to press any charges against me. Then again...you never did have proof I did it. Very well. I knew I would be uncovered soon enough. I surrender..." he said. Alexander's eyes narrowed while all fell silent. He slowly withdrew his sword and begun to sheath it when, suddenly, Vlad's fingers flickered and he saw a small pellet, a smoke bomb, between his two fingers.

"But ONLY when I kill you AND your little boy...your MAJESTY!" he exclaimed, suddenly throwing the smoke bomb on the ground. A massive smoke cloud enveloped the area, blinding everyone but Vlad.

"He...He had a smoke bomb?!" Devin yelled. Suddenly, the sound of Alexander groaning loudly filled the air.

"Y-Your Majesty!" Randolph shouted. Elliot gasped, trying to look through the clouds, but only seeing well enough to see the shadows of Vlad and Alexander. From the silhouette, it appeared as if Alexander had been stabbed in the chest.

"N-NO! Uncle!" Elliot yelled. The crowd gasped, turning back as the smoke cleared, revealing Vlad had swiftly impaled his sword into Alexander's side with a reverse attack. The king groaned in pain as Vlad's sword remained implanted, causing him to cough blood.

"He's been stabbed! Vlad stabbed the king!" Eugene exclaimed. Elliot's eyes suddenly widened from fear, watching as Alexander dropped to the ground as soon as Vlad withdrew his blade. He remained on the ground, clutching his wound as Vlad positioned himself beside him.

"Y-You...heartless...d-demon!" Alexander groaned. Randolph's rage filled eyes glared between the king and the blood stained sword of Vlad's.

"Your majesty! Are you all right?!" he shouted. The king groaned, slowly looking out towards them.

"Y-Yes...I...nngh...I moved in time to avoid anything...fatal." he muttered "He won't...kill me so easily." However, as his eyes looked back towards Vlad, he saw the monster ready to attack again.

"Yes. You may have avoided that one. But you won't avoid THIS. Heed my words Alexander Aldabern! When you and your brother denied me my place as ruler of this backwater land, you were cursed to die at my hands! You were cursed to suffer a horrible and miserable life! Your brother's time came twelve years ago! And now, it is YOUR turn! Join your brother in the netherworld!" Vlad yelled. Vlad then raised his sword into the air. Time seemed to slow around Elliot, hearing his own heartbeat racing faster and faster. As his heart continued pounding, flashbacks from his childhood began flooding his head before abruptly ending with the wildfire that separated him from his parents. And amidst the flames, Vlad's figure let out a maniacal laugh. Suddenly, without thinking twice, Elliot drew his sword and came charging straight for Vlad as he begun driving his sword down towards Alexander's head.

"NOOOOOOO!" the boy screamed. Everyone watched in utter shock, including Vlad and Alexander, while Elliot swung the sword as hard as he could. The speed of his slash left a massive cut along Vlad's side, tearing through his robe and causing him to stumble back, dropping his sword. Pain suddenly overcame him as the villain clutched his side in agony, dropping down on one knee.

"B-BOSS!" the rogues yelled. Alexander laid on the ground, looking up in complete shock at the panting Elliot, staring at Vlad.

"E-Elliot..." he muttered. Vlad groaned as he slowly pushed himself back up, still clutching his side.

"Y-You...little brat. How dare you...How DARE you cut me!" he growled. Elliot remained motionless, pointing his sword straight at him while Vlad picked his back up.

"That...is for threatening the only family I have left in this world...both my uncle AND Eloise." he replied. Vlad snarled, slowly approaching Elliot. He then came charging with sword drawn back, swinging it straight for Elliot's side. But the boy quickly blocked. It was soon a fury of swings as Elliot and Vlad's sword fight continued. Vlad remained on the offensive, attacking the boy with attack after attack, forcing him to step backwards with each attack. As the others watched the fight continue, Eloise was the quick to realize Vlad's true motive. Behind Elliot, she could see the cliffside that overlooked the coast line.

"E-Elliot! Get out of there! Vlad's trying to drive you over the cliff!" she exclaimed. Elliot gasped and quickly looked over his shoulder, gasping when he realized he was now inches away from falling over. He quickly turned back but was forced to quickly duck as Vlad swung a sideways strike, slicing off hairs from his head. The quick dodge forced Elliot to stumble to the ground, landing flat on his butt.

"ELLIOT!" everyone exclaimed. Alexander's eyes looked in fear as Vlad now had Elliot cornered near the cliff's edge, his robe flapping in the breeze. Clutching his aching side, Alexander quickly rose to his knees.

"VLAD! Stay away...from my nephew! You hear me?! Leave the boy alone!" he shouted. But his words fell on deaf ears as Vlad looked down at Elliot with a slightly psychotic grin. Elliot remained petrified, quaking down to his shoes as Vlad clutched his sword.

"You know...boy. Since the moment I saw you at the castle...I could feel the hatred that once bubbled within become reinvoked. You...You reminded me so much of your father...that it set my lust for blood ablaze again. I haven't this way...since I killed your parents that day." he muttered "Heh heh. All I could think about...was how much I wanted you dead. The mere sight of you made me grow more and more unhinged inside..." He slowly rose his blade upwards, preparing to stab Elliot with it. From behind, the others quickly rushed towards Vlad, trying to stop the attack.

"Now...I can finally put my past behind me...once I kill the sole child of that foolish man. And then, with you gone...no one...can stop me from killing your uncle OR the princess. All members of the royal families...will DIE...here...tonight...starting with YOU!" he continued, sounding more deranged as he went on. A maniacal grin stretched across his face as Elliot remained motionless.

"Long live...the KING!" he yelled, driving the sword straight at him. But suddenly, in a last ditch effort, Elliot lunged forward and rolled himself through the opening between Vlad's legs. The murderer's attack missed and his sword became wedged in the ground. The crowd behind them slowly came to a stop as Vlad swiftly turned back, anger burning in his eyes, as Elliot hopped to his feet. But just as he fully turned around, Elliot lunged back towards him and drove his sword clean into Vlad's chest, impaling the devil's heart. All gasped as Vlad coughed blood while Elliot's eyes remained tightly closed, pushing as hard as he could. The force prompted both towards the cliff's edge. But as they were soon over the edge, Elliot's clothes was grabbed from behind by Eloise, who bolted at the last minute alongside Devin. They both pulled hard and brought Elliot back to the ground as Vlad's stabbed body fell like a rock over the cliff, the sword still planted in his chest.

"What...What just happened...? My body...feels so...so cold..." he muttered, blood leaking from his lips. With those last words, Vlad's eyes closed and his body dove straight into the waves of the sea. Up on the cliffside, the three kids panted heavily while Elliot's eyes remained firmly at the cliff.

"T-That...was for my parents." Elliot muttered.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	11. Epilogue

_**The Prince, Pauper and the Princess**_

 _ **\- Epilogue -**_

Having all returned home safely after the battle with Vlad and his villainous partners out by the cliffside, we take you to the following day as Elliot's coronation as the rightful prince of the castle was just about to start. As King Alexander was speaking with his royal advisor and guests began to fill the seats, we find Elliot back in his new prince chambers, trying on the robe given to him by Randolph for his coronation. It was a large red robe with fluffy white cuffs around his collar and wrists. Seated on the edge of the bed was Devin as Eloise observed Elliot in his robe.

"I never imagined...in my wildest dreams...that I'd be where I am now. It feels like a dream." he chuckled. Eloise smiled and approached him, adjusting the collar of the robe.

"That's why you must look your best today, Elliot. Today is where your life TRULY begins...when you take your place as prince." she said. Looking at Elliot's eyes, Eloise seemed a bit flustered as she quickly glanced away, blushing herself. Elliot quickly blushed as well, looking away. Meanwhile, Devin looked on with a sly grin.

"Heh heh heh. Looks like you are quite the "ladies man" yourself there...PRINCE Elliot." Devin said. Elliot and Eloise glanced at each other, turning redder in the face.

"O-Oh shut your mouth you! Be grateful the king allowed you to live here too!" Eloise shouted, hiding her face whilst gripping onto Elliot's robe. Elliot chuckled, as did Devin, before the boys looked at each other.

"The castle is SURE going to get interesting...now that I have a new stepbrother living with me." Devin said. Elliot nodded.

"I know...but, honestly, I'm excited. I hope we get along well." he replied. Devin grinned as there was a knock at the door. There stood Henrietta, dressed in her maid attire.

"Oh...Henrietta. Did you send word to my parents about Elliot's coronation?" Eloise asked. The maid lightly nodded.

"Yes m'lady. The king made sure to explain everything in the letter as well, about Vlad and what he had planned. I also made sure to put in your request to live here at the castle with Prince Elliot. With such a grand report, maybe this will show your father that King Alexander desires no ill content to happen between our kingdoms...especially since since his son fought bravely to protect you." she said. Eloise gently smiled as her eyes looked back to Elliot's.

"Thank you again...for that, my prince." she muttered. She then gently leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Elliot blushed as he held her hands while looking on at her.

"I'd gladly do it again...my p-p-princess." he said, gaining courage towards the end. Small tears began forming in the princess' eyes, but she wiped them away with her finger. Just then, Henrietta saw Randolph at her side.

"Pardon me, Prince Elliot. But we are ready to begin the coronation. Are you ready?" he asked. Elliot replied with a simple nod before releasing Eloise's hands and followed his new butler out of the room. As the others soon followed behind, Elliot merely glanced down towards the floor, seeing his feet with each step. As he walked past the windows, he glanced out towards the village down below.

"Well, mom...dad...I hope you'll watch over and help guide me as I'm learning the ropes of how to live like a royal now. It certainly won't be easy...given the craziness I went through right before my coronation. But...I'll do my best...to make you proud." he thought, closing his eyes with a proud smile on his face. Just then, someone's loving voice echoed a few words in his ears, opening his eyes in a flash.

 _"Do your best. We'll ALWAYS be watching over you...my son..."_

Elliot gasped and looked around the area, trying to figure out where the voice came from. His sudden look around surprised his friends.

"Hmmm? Elliot? What's up?" Devin asked. Looking back at them, Elliot rubbed the back of his head while giving a small laugh.

"Uhhhhh...pre-coronation jitters. That's all." he chuckled. The others sighed and shook their heads as Elliot looked out the window again.

"Mom? Was...that YOUR voice?" he thought. The group continued on, eventually making their way to the throne room. At Elliot's coronation, the sole prince walked down the aisle alone, waving to his new subjects as he passed them. He saw the likes of Giselle, Eugene, Miss Haggison and more among them as he made his way towards the throne. He was greeted by the father of the village church and graciously bowed to him. After swearing to act in beneficial to the kingdom and for the good of the people, the trumpets blared as he took his seat in the throne. Standing nearby, Alexander watched with his royal robe tied up, hiding the bandaging from his wound.

"William...I hope you're watching." he muttered. He then looked nearby, seeing Randolph arriving on the scene with Elliot's new prince crown on a pillow, carried in his hands. He followed him to the throne as the father stepped aside. Randolph then faced Alexander and offered the crown to him, which he gently picked up and faced Elliot. A large smile was on the child's face, bringing a smile to his face.

"Elliot...a lot has surely happened these last twelve years. But now...I am happy to have you here at the castle with all of us. I hope you will do your best...to live up to the role I am about to bestow upon you." he said. Elliot nodded.

"I will...Uncle Alexander." he said. Alexander's smile softened as he slowly knelt down.

"Then...with that said, in accordance with the royal scriptures, I hereby crown thee..."Prince" Elliot Adalbern." he said, slowly placing the crown atop his head. Afterwards, the king and prince looked at each other and, with small tears, hugged each other as the crowd exploded in a uproar of jeer.

"Welcome home, my nephew..." Alexander muttered.

"Glad to be here..." Elliot replied. As the king slowly released his grip on Elliot, they both saw Eloise and the rest hurrying over to greet the newly crowned prince as Elliot opened his arms, accepting a hug from Eloise and Devin at the same time.

 _ **\- THE END -**_


End file.
